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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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