§§§...§... §§.§§...§§
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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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