.§§§§..§§. .§.§..§.§.
.§...§.§.§ §§§§§.§§§§
§§§..§§§§§ §....§§...
§..§.§.... .§...§.§..
§§.§§§§... .§§..§§§§.
§.§§...§.. ......;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;...... .§.§.§...§
.§§.§..§§. ..; 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. .«. §§.....§§.
.§..§..§.§ ......;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;...... §.§....§.§
§§§.§§.§§§ §§§§...§§§
...§§.§§.. ....§..§..
...§.§§.§. ......;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;...... ....§§.§§.
...§§§.§§§ .«; 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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.§§§...§§. §§.....§§.
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