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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. *«: ,:«****&
##§«,,,,,, *«:««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««*:« ,,,,,,«§##
##¶#&§*«:, *:« 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. :«* ,:«*§¶##
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##¶#&§*«:, «:* 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. «:* ,:«*§¶##
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¶#&&&§*«:, «:* Iirc It'S Currently Owned By *«: ,:«*§&&¶
¶#&§«:,,,, «*: Some Energy drink Baron Who Uses *:« ,,,,:«§¶
¶#§§«:,,,, *«: It To Hold All His Fourty Eight :*« ,,,,:«§§#¶
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