##@¶&$*~-. .-~*$&¶@##
#@¶#&$*~-. .-~*$¶@#
#&**~--... ...--~**
@¶&$$~---. .---~$$&¶@
@¶#&&$*~-. .-~*$&¶@
#@¶#&$*~-. ...---****************************---... .-~*$¶@#
#$$*-..... .-* THE SPIRE ~*. .....-*$$#
#@¶#&$*~-. ~*-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*~- .-~*$¶@#
##@#&$*~-. *~- ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A *-~ .-~*$@##
##@¶#$*~-. *-~ BENEVOLENT SPIRE, TOWERING WELL -*~ .-~*$#¶@##
¶#&*~..... -*~ 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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