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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. :=¨ ¨¨:«=†%§##
#§%†=«:¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:::============================:::¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:«=†%§#
§%†=«:¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨:«=†%§
%†=«:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:::============================:::¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:«=†%
†=«:¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨:= 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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