###§§=/«~. .~«/=§§###
###§§=/«~. .~«/=§§###
§=/«...... ......«/=§
#§=«~~.... ....~~«=§#
###§§=/«~. .~«/=§§###
§§====/«~. ...~~~////////////////////////////~~~... .~«/====§§
###§§=/«~. .~/ THE SPIRE «/. .~«/=§§###
###§§=/«~. «/~««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««/«~ .~«/=§§###
§§§§§=/«~. /«~ ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A /~« .~«/=§§§§§
§=«~...... /~« BENEVOLENT SPIRE, TOWERING WELL ~/« ......~«=§
##§§§=/«~. ~/« ABOVE OUR TALLEST TREES. IT WAS ~«/ .~«/=§§§##
###§§=/«~. ~«/ CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED «~/ .~«/=§§###
#§=/«~.... «~/ LIKED A MUSHROOM. «/~ ....~«/=§#
###§§=/«~. «/~ WE LOVED IT DEARLY. /«~ .~«/=§§###
§§§=/~~... /«~««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««/~« ...~~/=§§§
###§§=/«~. /~« IT PREDATED US BY MANY YEARS, ~/« .~«/=§§###
###§§=/«~. ~/« AND WE DID NOT KNOW ITS ORIGINAL ~«/ .~«/=§§###
§§==««~... ~«/ BUILDERS. THEY HAD USED ITS «~/ ...~««==§§
§§==««~... «~/ HOLLOW BODY FOR MANY STRANGE «/~ ...~««==§§
##§/«~.... «/~ PURPOSES - A WOMBLIKE PLACE OF /«~ ....~«/§##
#§=«~..... /«~ GESTATION, A STORAGE OF STRAGE /~« .....~«=§#
###§§=/«~. /~« FLUIDS, A TEMPLE TO SOME KIND OF ~/« .~«/=§§###
###§§=/«~. ~/« ARCANE DEITY. ~«/ .~«/=§§###
####§=/«~. ~«/«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««~/ .~«/=§####
#§=«~~.... «~/ WE WERE GRATEFUL FOR ITS «/~ ....~~«=§#
###§§=/«~. «/~ PRESENCE, AND HONORED IT THE /«~ .~«/=§§###
§§§§§=/«~. /«~ ONLY WAY WE KNEW HOW: BY /~« .~«/=§§§§§
###§§=/«~. .~« BREAKING IN. ~«. .~«/=§§###
###§§=/«~. ...~~~////////////////////////////~~~... .~«/=§§###
§§§==«.... ....«==§§§
###§§=/«~. .~«/=§§###
###§§=/«~. ...~~~////////////////////////////~~~... .~«/=§§###
§§=«~..... .«/ THIS PLACE WE CALLED OUR CITY: ~/« .....~«=§§
#§=/««~~.. ~/« WAVY AND FRACTURED, WITH EACH /~« ..~~««/=§#
§=/~...... /~« COURTYARD ON A DIFFERENT HEIGHT, /«~ ......~/=§
###§§=/«~. /«~ ROADS BECOMING ROOFS BECOMING «/~ .~«/=§§###
##§/««~~.. «/~ DRAINS. AND SOME PLACES, LIKE «~/ ..~~««/§##
###§§=/«~. «~/ THE SPIRE, NOBODY HAD ACCESSED ~«/ .~«/=§§###
§§§§§=/«~. ~«/ FOR MANY YEARS. ONCE ITS WALLS ~/« .~«/=§§§§§
###§§=/«~. ~/« ARE JUST TOO HIGH, AND THE /~« .~«/=§§###
###§§=/«~. /~« INTERNAL ROUTES TO LABYRINTHINE, /«~ .~«/=§§###
###§§=/«~. /«~ A PLACE AMONG OTHERS IS EASILY «/~ .~«/=§§###
##§/~..... «/~ OVERLOOKED. ~«/ .....~/§##
###§§=/«~. ~«/««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««~/« .~«/=§§###
###§§=/«~. ~/« SO, BASICALLY, THAT SUMMER THE /~« .~«/=§§###
#§===/««~. /~« FOUR OF US SNUCK AND CLIMBED AND «~/ .~««/===§#
##§=/«.... /«~ CRAWLED FOR WEEKS, SEARCHING FOR «/~ ....«/=§##
###§§=/«~. «/~ A SECLUDED PLACE TO DO DRUGS AND «~/ .~«/=§§###
§§§§=/~... «~/ PLAY MUSIC ON OUR HANDHELDS. ~«/ ...~/=§§§§
#§=/~..... ~«/ INSTEAD WE FOUND VAST LUNGS ~/« .....~/=§#
###§§=/«~. ~/« DRAINED OF THEIR CATALYST /~« .~«/=§§###
§§§/~..... /~« SLUDGE, AND A BIRDS-EYE VIEW TO /«~ .....~/§§§
###§§=/«~. /«~ MAKE SENSE OF OUR ROAMINGS FOR «/~ .~«/=§§###
###§§=/«~. «/~ YEARS TO COME. «~/ .~«/=§§###
§§§/«~.... «~/««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««~«/ ....~«/§§§
§§§§§=/«~. ~«/ A CENTRAL SPINE, A STAIRCASE ~/« .~«/=§§§§§
###§§=/«~. ~/« AROUND IT, THE SEVEN TOROIDAL /~« .~«/=§§###
§§§/«..... /~« LUNGS STACKED OUTSIDE, AND THE /«~ .....«/§§§
###§§=/«~. /«~ CONTROL ROOM ON TOP. THE SOCKETS «/~ .~«/=§§###
####§=/«~. «/~ FOR ITS EYES. THE SMALLER SPIRES «~/ .~«/=§####
#§=«~~~... «~/ FOR RADIATING CONSCIOUSNESS ~«/ ...~~~«=§#
#§==««.... .«/ INVITATIONS. ~/. ....««==§#
#§==«..... ...~~~////////////////////////////~~~... .....«==§#
###§§=/«~. .~«/=§§###
#§§/~~.... ...~~~////////////////////////////~~~... ....~~/§§#
###§§=/«~. .~/ IN TWENTY FOURTEEN, THE TOWER IS /«~ .~«/=§§###
###§§=/«~. «/~ TOPPLED AND EATEN BY MACHINES. /~« .~«/=§§###
###§§=/«~. /«~ AFTER A WHILE, SOMETHING NEW IS ~/« .~«/=§§###
§=/«...... /~« CONJURED IN ITS PLACE. IT'S A ~«/ ......«/=§
###§§=/«~. ~/« TINY MAW AT FIRST, SHORTER THAN «~/ .~«/=§§###
#§==///«~. ~«/ US, AND WE LET IT BE. OUR «/~ .~«///==§#
§§§/~..... «~/ JOURNEYS STILL END AT ITS FEET. /«~ .....~/§§§
###§§=/«~. «/~««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««/~« .~«/=§§###
§§§=«..... /«~ BUT THEN WE ARE BETRAYED. THE ~/« .....«=§§§
##§=««««~. /~« NEW TOWER EATS US. OTHERS ARE ~«/ .~««««=§##
§§§=«~.... ~/« SUCKED INSIDE. NEW BUILDINGS ARE «~/ ....~«=§§§
§§==««~... ~«/ MANIFESTED OVERNIGHT, ONLY TO «/~ ...~««==§§
###§§=/«~. «~/ DISAPPEAR IN THE EVENING FOG. /«~ .~«/=§§###
###§§=/«~. «/~ FOR A WHILE ITS SOME KIND OF /~« .~«/=§§###
§§=//~.... /«~ TIMESHARE SCAM. GOONS ARE PLACED ~/« ....~//=§§
###§§=/«~. /~« OUTSIDE, AND WE GET BEATEN UP A ~«/ .~«/=§§###
#§///««... ~/« FEW TIMES, AND STOP GOING. «~/ ...««///§#
###§§=/«~. ~«/«««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««/~ .~«/=§§###
§§/«~..... «~/ IIRC IT'S CURRENTLY OWNED BY /«~ .....~«/§§
###§§=/«~. «/~ SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES /~« .~«/=§§###
##§=«..... /«~ IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT ~/« .....«=§##
###§§=/«~. .~« CARS..... ~«. .~«/=§§###
§=///~.... ...~~~////////////////////////////~~~... ....~///=§
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§=«««««... ...«««««=§
####§=/«~. .~«/=§####
§§§=/«.... ....«/=§§§