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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. --. .&.&.&.&.&
.&.&..&..& ...---============================---... .&.&.&.&.&
.&.&.&&.&& .&.&.&.&.&
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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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