.&&&.&.&.& &...&....&
.&.&.....& .&...&....
....&..... ..&...&...
.....&.... ...&...&..
......&... ....&...&.
.......&.. ...~~~\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\~~~... &....&...&
&.......&. .~\ 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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&.....&.&& .&&&..&...