......§§§. ..§.......
§§§§§..§.. ....§§§§§§
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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. ,~. ........§.
....§§..§§ ...,,,============================,,,... .§§§§§§...
§§§......§ ..§§§§..§§
§§..§§§§.. ...§§....§
§....§§... ...,,,============================,,,... §§....§§..
..§§....§§ .~= 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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