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£$=:«~,,,, ,~: THE SPIRE «:, ,,,,~«:=$£
$=:«~,,,,, «:~««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««:«~ ,,,,,~«:=$
=:«~,,,,,, :«~ ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A :~« ,,,,,,~«:=
$=:«~,,,,, :~« BENEVOLENT SPIRE, TOWERING WELL ~:« ,,,,,~«:=$
£$=:«~,,,, ~:« ABOVE OUR TALLEST TREES. IT WAS ~«: ,,,,~«:=$£
#£$=:«~,,, ~«: CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED «~: ,,,~«:=$£#
##£$=:«~,, «~: LIKED A MUSHROOM. «:~ ,,~«:=$£##
###£$=:«~, «:~ WE LOVED IT DEARLY. :«~ ,~«:=$£###
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#£$=:«~,,, :~« IT PREDATED US BY MANY YEARS, ~:« ,,,~«:=$£#
£$=:«~,,,, ~:« AND WE DID NOT KNOW ITS ORIGINAL ~«: ,,,,~«:=$£
$=:«~,,,,, ~«: BUILDERS. THEY HAD USED ITS «~: ,,,,,~«:=$
=:«~,,,,,, «~: HOLLOW BODY FOR MANY STRANGE «:~ ,,,,,,~«:=
$=:«~,,,,, «:~ PURPOSES - A WOMBLIKE PLACE OF :«~ ,,,,,~«:=$
£$=:«~,,,, :«~ GESTATION, A STORAGE OF STRAGE :~« ,,,,~«:=$£
#£$=:«~,,, :~« FLUIDS, A TEMPLE TO SOME KIND OF ~:« ,,,~«:=$£#
##£$=:«~,, ~:« ARCANE DEITY. ~«: ,,~«:=$£##
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##£$=:«~,, «~: WE WERE GRATEFUL FOR ITS «:~ ,,~«:=$£##
#£$=:«~,,, «:~ PRESENCE, AND HONORED IT THE :«~ ,,,~«:=$£#
£$=:«~,,,, :«~ ONLY WAY WE KNEW HOW: BY :~« ,,,,~«:=$£
$=:«~,,,,, ,~« BREAKING IN. ~«, ,,,,,~«:=$
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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 ~«: ,,,,,,~«:=
$=:«~,,,,, ~:« TINY MAW AT FIRST, SHORTER THAN «~: ,,,,,~«:=$
£$=:«~,,,, ~«: US, AND WE LET IT BE. OUR «:~ ,,,,~«:=$£
#£$=:«~,,, «~: JOURNEYS STILL END AT ITS FEET. :«~ ,,,~«:=$£#
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###£$=:«~, :«~ BUT THEN WE ARE BETRAYED. THE ~:« ,~«:=$£###
##£$=:«~,, :~« NEW TOWER EATS US. OTHERS ARE ~«: ,,~«:=$£##
#£$=:«~,,, ~:« SUCKED INSIDE. NEW BUILDINGS ARE «~: ,,,~«:=$£#
£$=:«~,,,, ~«: MANIFESTED OVERNIGHT, ONLY TO «:~ ,,,,~«:=$£
$=:«~,,,,, «~: DISAPPEAR IN THE EVENING FOG. :«~ ,,,,,~«:=$
=:«~,,,,,, «:~ FOR A WHILE ITS SOME KIND OF :~« ,,,,,,~«:=
$=:«~,,,,, :«~ TIMESHARE SCAM. GOONS ARE PLACED ~:« ,,,,,~«:=$
£$=:«~,,,, :~« OUTSIDE, AND WE GET BEATEN UP A ~«: ,,,,~«:=$£
#£$=:«~,,, ~:« FEW TIMES, AND STOP GOING. «~: ,,,~«:=$£#
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###£$=:«~, «~: IIRC IT'S CURRENTLY OWNED BY :«~ ,~«:=$£###
##£$=:«~,, «:~ SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES :~« ,,~«:=$£##
#£$=:«~,,, :«~ IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT ~:« ,,,~«:=$£#
£$=:«~,,,, ,~« CARS..... ~«, ,,,,~«:=$£
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