.~-^%£§¶##                                          ##¶§£%^-~.
..~-^%£§¶#                                          #¶§£%^-~..
.~-^%£§¶##                                          ##¶§£%^-~.
..~-^%£§¶#                                          #¶§£%^-~..
.~-^%£§¶##                                          ##¶§£%^-~.
..~-^%£§¶# ...~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^~~~... #¶§£%^-~..
.~-^%£§¶## .~^            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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