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