,-~;%£§###                                          ###§£%;~-,
,-~;%£§###                                          ###§£%;~-,
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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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