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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. ^;, &,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,&,&&, ,,,^^^;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;^^^,,, ,&,,,,,,,,
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,,,,,,,&,& ,,,^^^;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;^^^,,, ,,,&,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,& ,^; 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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