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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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