....~~;%§& &§%;~~....
...~~;%§&£ £&§%;~~...
..~~;%§&£# #£&§%;~~..
.~~;%§&£## ##£&§%;~~.
..~~;%§&£# #£&§%;~~..
...~~;%§&£ ...~~~;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;~~~... £&§%;~~...
....~~;%§& .~; 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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