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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 ::~ ,,,,,,,:~:
$:~:,,,,,, :~: IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT ::~ ,,,,,,:~:$
&$:~:,,,,, ,:~ CARS..... :~, ,,,,,:~:$&
¤&$:~:,,,, ,,,::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::,,, ,,,,:~:$&¤
¶¤&$:~:,,, ,,,:~:$&¤¶
#¶¤&$:~:,, ,,:~:$&¤¶#
##¶¤&$:~:, ,:~:$&¤¶##
#¶¤&$:~:,, ,,:~:$&¤¶#
¶¤&$:~:,,, ,,,:~:$&¤¶