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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. ,«. .....,«\=£
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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. ,\. ..........
.......... ...,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,... ..........
,......... .........,
«,........ ...,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,... ........,«
\«,....... .,\ 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. \«, .,«\=£§@##
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@§£=\«,... \«, 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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