@..@.@..@. @@..@....@
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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. .*. @..@...@@@
@....@.... ......****************************...... @@..@..@.@
@@....@... .@@..@...@
.@@....@.. ......****************************...... .@@@..@..@
.@@@....@. ..* 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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