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#§£*«:,,,,                                          ,,,,:«*£§#
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###@§£†«:, ,,,:::††††††††††††††††††††††††††††:::,,, ,:«†£§@###
@£**««:,,, ,:†            THE  SPIRE            «†, ,,,:««**£@
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##@§£*†«:, †«: 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.           :†, ,:«†*£§@##
§*«:::,,,, ,,,:::††††††††††††††††††††††††††††:::,,, ,,,,:::«*§
#§£££*†«:,                                          ,:«†*£££§#
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##@§£*†«:, ,:† 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. †«: ,:«†*£§@##
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§*†:,,,,,, †«: 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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