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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 ~-\ ,-~\$££#@@
##@@#£$\-, ~-\ LIKED A MUSHROOM. ~\- ,-\$£#@@##
@££\~,,,,, ~\- WE LOVED IT DEARLY. \~- ,,,,,~\££@
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@£$~,,,,,, \-~ IT PREDATED US BY MANY YEARS, -\~ ,,,,,,~$£@
##@#£$\~-, -\~ AND WE DID NOT KNOW ITS ORIGINAL -~\ ,-~\$£#@##
@#$$\~~,,, -~\ BUILDERS. THEY HAD USED ITS ~-\ ,,,~~\$$#@
@@@#£$\~-, ~-\ HOLLOW BODY FOR MANY STRANGE ~\- ,-~\$£#@@@
@@@#£$\~-, ~\- PURPOSES - A WOMBLIKE PLACE OF \~- ,-~\$£#@@@
#@@#£$\~-, \~- GESTATION, A STORAGE OF STRAGE \-~ ,-~\$£#@@#
#@@#£$\~-, \-~ FLUIDS, A TEMPLE TO SOME KIND OF -\~ ,-~\$£#@@#
@#£\-,,,,, -\~ ARCANE DEITY. -~\ ,,,,,-\£#@
#@@#£$\~-, -~\~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-\ ,-~\$£#@@#
#@@#£$\~-, ~-\ WE WERE GRATEFUL FOR ITS ~\- ,-~\$£#@@#
@@@#£$\~-, ~\- PRESENCE, AND HONORED IT THE \~- ,-~\$£#@@@
#@@#£$\~-, \~- ONLY WAY WE KNEW HOW: BY \-~ ,-~\$£#@@#
####£$\~-, ,-~ BREAKING IN. -~, ,-~\$£####
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@@@#£$\~-, ,~\ THIS PLACE WE CALLED OUR CITY: -\~ ,-~\$£#@@@
#@@#£$\~-, -\~ WAVY AND FRACTURED, WITH EACH \-~ ,-~\$£#@@#
#@@#£$\~-, \-~ COURTYARD ON A DIFFERENT HEIGHT, \~- ,-~\$£#@@#
@@@#£$\~-, \~- ROADS BECOMING ROOFS BECOMING ~\- ,-~\$£#@@@
#@@#£$\~-, ~\- DRAINS. AND SOME PLACES, LIKE ~-\ ,-~\$£#@@#
#£$~-,,,,, ~-\ THE SPIRE, NOBODY HAD ACCESSED -~\ ,,,,,-~$£#
#££$\\---, -~\ FOR MANY YEARS. ONCE ITS WALLS -\~ ,---\\$££#
##$$~~,,,, -\~ 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 ~-\ ,-~\$£#@@#
#$$\~-,,,, -~\ US, AND WE LET IT BE. OUR ~\- ,,,,-~\$$#
#@@#£$\~-, ~-\ JOURNEYS STILL END AT ITS FEET. \~- ,-~\$£#@@#
#£££\-,,,, ~\-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\-~ ,,,,-\£££#
#@@#£$\~-, \~- BUT THEN WE ARE BETRAYED. THE -\~ ,-~\$£#@@#
###£\~~-,, \-~ NEW TOWER EATS US. OTHERS ARE -~\ ,,-~~\£###
@£$$$\--,, -\~ 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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