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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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