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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. =~~ §§§§§§§§§§
§§§§§§§§§§ ~=~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~=~~ §§§§§§§§§§
§§§§§§§§§§ =~~ 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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