,&,,,&,,,& ,&,,,&,,,,
,&&,,&&,,& ,&&,,&&,,,
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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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