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#,,#,#,##, ,:† THE SPIRE ~†, ,,,##,,#,#
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,#,,,#,#,, †:~ BENEVOLENT SPIRE, TOWERING WELL :†~ #,,,,#,#,,
##,,####,, :†~ ABOVE OUR TALLEST TREES. IT WAS :~† #,,,####,,
,#,#,,,#,, :~† CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED ~:† #,,#,,,#,#
####,,##,# ~:† LIKED A MUSHROOM. ~†: #,##,,####
,,,#,#,##, ~†: WE LOVED IT DEARLY. †~: ##,#,#,,,,
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,#,,,,##,, †:~ 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 †~: ##,,,#,#,,
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,#,#,###,, :~†~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:† #,,#,#,,##
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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 ~†: ,,,##,####
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#,,#####,# †:~ 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 :†~ ##,,#,,,#,
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##,,,,,,,# †:~ SLUDGE, AND A BIRDS-EYE VIEW TO †~: ###,#,#,##
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##,,,,,##, ~†: YEARS TO COME. ~:† ,#,,,,,#,,
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##,,,###,, :~† 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 ~:† ,,,##,#,##
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,##,#,#### ,~† INVITATIONS. :†, ,###,,,#,#
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