###¶£%^«-¨                                          ¨-«^%£¶###
##¶£%^«-¨¨                                          ¨¨-«^%£¶##
###¶£%^«-¨                                          ¨-«^%£¶###
##¶£%^«-¨¨                                          ¨¨-«^%£¶##
###¶£%^«-¨                                          ¨-«^%£¶###
##¶£%^«-¨¨ ¨¨¨---^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^---¨¨¨ ¨¨-«^%£¶##
###¶£%^«-¨ ¨-^            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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###¶£%^«-¨                                          ¨-«^%£¶###
##¶£%^«-¨¨                                          ¨¨-«^%£¶##
###¶£%^«-¨                                          ¨-«^%£¶###
##¶£%^«-¨¨                                          ¨¨-«^%£¶##
###¶£%^«-¨                                          ¨-«^%£¶###