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.^-;%§£### ...^^^;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;^^^... ###£§%;-^.
.^-;§£¶### .^;            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.       ^-. £%-.......
...^-%§§¶¶ ...^^^;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;^^^... ¶¶§§%-^...
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.....^^;§£                                          £§;^^.....
.^-;%§¶### ...^^^;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;^^^... ###¶§%;-^.
.^-;%§£¶## .-; 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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