#@£%*=~... ...~=*%£@#
##@£%*=~.. ..~=*%£@##
#@£%*=~... ...~=*%£@#
@£%*=~.... ....~=*%£@
£%*=~..... .....~=*%£
%*=~...... ......============================...... ......~=*%
*=~....... ..= 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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