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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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