....&&.... &...&&..&&
...&.&...& &..&.&.&.&
..&&&&..&& &.&&&&&&&&
.&...&.&.& &&.......&
&&..&&&&&. .&......&&
.&.&....&. ......============================...... &&.....&..
&&&&...&&. ..= 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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