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##£$%/=~,, ,,,~~~////////////////////////////~~~,,, ,,~=/%$£##
#£$%/=~,,, ,~/ THE SPIRE =/, ,,,~=/%$£#
##£$%/=~,, =/~==================================/=~ ,,~=/%$£##
###£$%/=~, /=~ ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A /~= ,~=/%$£###
##£$%/=~,, /~= BENEVOLENT SPIRE, TOWERING WELL ~/= ,,~=/%$£##
#£$%/=~,,, ~/= ABOVE OUR TALLEST TREES. IT WAS ~=/ ,,,~=/%$£#
##£$%/=~,, ~=/ CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED =~/ ,,~=/%$£##
###£$%/=~, =~/ LIKED A MUSHROOM. =/~ ,~=/%$£###
##£$%/=~,, =/~ WE LOVED IT DEARLY. /=~ ,,~=/%$£##
#£$%/=~,,, /=~==================================/~= ,,,~=/%$£#
##£$%/=~,, /~= IT PREDATED US BY MANY YEARS, ~/= ,,~=/%$£##
###£$%/=~, ~/= AND WE DID NOT KNOW ITS ORIGINAL ~=/ ,~=/%$£###
##£$%/=~,, ~=/ BUILDERS. THEY HAD USED ITS =~/ ,,~=/%$£##
#£$%/=~,,, =~/ HOLLOW BODY FOR MANY STRANGE =/~ ,,,~=/%$£#
##£$%/=~,, =/~ PURPOSES - A WOMBLIKE PLACE OF /=~ ,,~=/%$£##
###£$%/=~, /=~ GESTATION, A STORAGE OF STRAGE /~= ,~=/%$£###
##£$%/=~,, /~= FLUIDS, A TEMPLE TO SOME KIND OF ~/= ,,~=/%$£##
#£$%/=~,,, ~/= ARCANE DEITY. ~=/ ,,,~=/%$£#
##£$%/=~,, ~=/===================================~/ ,,~=/%$£##
###£$%/=~, =~/ WE WERE GRATEFUL FOR ITS =/~ ,~=/%$£###
##£$%/=~,, =/~ PRESENCE, AND HONORED IT THE /=~ ,,~=/%$£##
#£$%/=~,,, /=~ ONLY WAY WE KNEW HOW: BY /~= ,,,~=/%$£#
##£$%/=~,, ,~= BREAKING IN. ~=, ,,~=/%$£##
###£$%/=~, ,,,~~~////////////////////////////~~~,,, ,~=/%$£###
##£$%/=~,, ,,~=/%$£##
#£$%/=~,,, ,,,~=/%$£#
##£$%/=~,, ,,,~~~////////////////////////////~~~,,, ,,~=/%$£##
###£$%/=~, ,=/ THIS PLACE WE CALLED OUR CITY: ~/= ,~=/%$£###
##£$%/=~,, ~/= WAVY AND FRACTURED, WITH EACH /~= ,,~=/%$£##
#£$%/=~,,, /~= COURTYARD ON A DIFFERENT HEIGHT, /=~ ,,,~=/%$£#
##£$%/=~,, /=~ ROADS BECOMING ROOFS BECOMING =/~ ,,~=/%$£##
###£$%/=~, =/~ DRAINS. AND SOME PLACES, LIKE =~/ ,~=/%$£###
##£$%/=~,, =~/ THE SPIRE, NOBODY HAD ACCESSED ~=/ ,,~=/%$£##
#£$%/=~,,, ~=/ FOR MANY YEARS. ONCE ITS WALLS ~/= ,,,~=/%$£#
##£$%/=~,, ~/= ARE JUST TOO HIGH, AND THE /~= ,,~=/%$£##
###£$%/=~, /~= INTERNAL ROUTES TO LABYRINTHINE, /=~ ,~=/%$£###
##£$%/=~,, /=~ A PLACE AMONG OTHERS IS EASILY =/~ ,,~=/%$£##
#£$%/=~,,, =/~ OVERLOOKED. ~=/ ,,,~=/%$£#
##£$%/=~,, ~=/==================================~/= ,,~=/%$£##
###£$%/=~, ~/= SO, BASICALLY, THAT SUMMER THE /~= ,~=/%$£###
##£$%/=~,, /~= FOUR OF US SNUCK AND CLIMBED AND =~/ ,,~=/%$£##
#£$%/=~,,, /=~ CRAWLED FOR WEEKS, SEARCHING FOR =/~ ,,,~=/%$£#
##£$%/=~,, =/~ A SECLUDED PLACE TO DO DRUGS AND =~/ ,,~=/%$£##
###£$%/=~, =~/ PLAY MUSIC ON OUR HANDHELDS. ~=/ ,~=/%$£###
##£$%/=~,, ~=/ INSTEAD WE FOUND VAST LUNGS ~/= ,,~=/%$£##
#£$%/=~,,, ~/= DRAINED OF THEIR CATALYST /~= ,,,~=/%$£#
##£$%/=~,, /~= SLUDGE, AND A BIRDS-EYE VIEW TO /=~ ,,~=/%$£##
###£$%/=~, /=~ MAKE SENSE OF OUR ROAMINGS FOR =/~ ,~=/%$£###
##£$%/=~,, =/~ YEARS TO COME. =~/ ,,~=/%$£##
#£$%/=~,,, =~/==================================~=/ ,,,~=/%$£#
##£$%/=~,, ~=/ A CENTRAL SPINE, A STAIRCASE ~/= ,,~=/%$£##
###£$%/=~, ~/= AROUND IT, THE SEVEN TOROIDAL /~= ,~=/%$£###
##£$%/=~,, /~= LUNGS STACKED OUTSIDE, AND THE /=~ ,,~=/%$£##
#£$%/=~,,, /=~ CONTROL ROOM ON TOP. THE SOCKETS =/~ ,,,~=/%$£#
##£$%/=~,, =/~ FOR ITS EYES. THE SMALLER SPIRES =~/ ,,~=/%$£##
###£$%/=~, =~/ FOR RADIATING CONSCIOUSNESS ~=/ ,~=/%$£###
##£$%/=~,, ,=/ INVITATIONS. ~/, ,,~=/%$£##
#£$%/=~,,, ,,,~~~////////////////////////////~~~,,, ,,,~=/%$£#
##£$%/=~,, ,,~=/%$£##
###£$%/=~, ,,,~~~////////////////////////////~~~,,, ,~=/%$£###
##£$%/=~,, ,~/ IN TWENTY FOURTEEN, THE TOWER IS /=~ ,,~=/%$£##
#£$%/=~,,, =/~ TOPPLED AND EATEN BY MACHINES. /~= ,,,~=/%$£#
##£$%/=~,, /=~ AFTER A WHILE, SOMETHING NEW IS ~/= ,,~=/%$£##
###£$%/=~, /~= CONJURED IN ITS PLACE. IT'S A ~=/ ,~=/%$£###
##£$%/=~,, ~/= TINY MAW AT FIRST, SHORTER THAN =~/ ,,~=/%$£##
#£$%/=~,,, ~=/ US, AND WE LET IT BE. OUR =/~ ,,,~=/%$£#
##£$%/=~,, =~/ JOURNEYS STILL END AT ITS FEET. /=~ ,,~=/%$£##
###£$%/=~, =/~==================================/~= ,~=/%$£###
##£$%/=~,, /=~ BUT THEN WE ARE BETRAYED. THE ~/= ,,~=/%$£##
#£$%/=~,,, /~= NEW TOWER EATS US. OTHERS ARE ~=/ ,,,~=/%$£#
##£$%/=~,, ~/= SUCKED INSIDE. NEW BUILDINGS ARE =~/ ,,~=/%$£##
###£$%/=~, ~=/ MANIFESTED OVERNIGHT, ONLY TO =/~ ,~=/%$£###
##£$%/=~,, =~/ DISAPPEAR IN THE EVENING FOG. /=~ ,,~=/%$£##
#£$%/=~,,, =/~ FOR A WHILE ITS SOME KIND OF /~= ,,,~=/%$£#
##£$%/=~,, /=~ TIMESHARE SCAM. GOONS ARE PLACED ~/= ,,~=/%$£##
###£$%/=~, /~= OUTSIDE, AND WE GET BEATEN UP A ~=/ ,~=/%$£###
##£$%/=~,, ~/= FEW TIMES, AND STOP GOING. =~/ ,,~=/%$£##
#£$%/=~,,, ~=/===================================/~ ,,,~=/%$£#
##£$%/=~,, =~/ IIRC IT'S CURRENTLY OWNED BY /=~ ,,~=/%$£##
###£$%/=~, =/~ SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES /~= ,~=/%$£###
##£$%/=~,, /=~ IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT ~/= ,,~=/%$£##
#£$%/=~,,, ,~= CARS..... ~=, ,,,~=/%$£#
##£$%/=~,, ,,,~~~////////////////////////////~~~,,, ,,~=/%$£##
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