&......&&& .......&..
&.....&..& ......&&.&
&....&&.&. .....&.&&.
&...&.&&&. ....&&&.&&
&..&&&..&. ...&..&&..
&.&..&.&&. ...,,,****************************,,,... ..&&.&.&.&
&&&.&&&.&. .,* 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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.&&.&&.&&. &.&.&&.&&.
&.&&.&&.&& &&&&.&&.&.
&&.&&.&&.. ...&&.&&&&