.#........ ........#.
...####### #######...
##..###### ######..##
#....##### #####....#
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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. ~«. ..##..#..#
##..###### ...~~~////////////////////////////~~~... ..........
.....####. #########.
####..##.. ########..
.##....... ...~~~////////////////////////////~~~... #######...
....###### .«/ 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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