,^~:§&£###                                          ###£&§:~^,
,^~:§§&&&#                                          #&&&§§:~^,
,,,,~§§§£#                                          #£§§§~,,,,
,^~:§&£###                                          ###£&§:~^,
,^~:§&&£##                                          ##£&&§:~^,
,^~:§&£### ,,,^^^::::::::::::::::::::::::::::^^^,,, ###£&§:~^,
,^~:§§&&££ ,^:            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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