§.....§§.. ..........
..§§§....§ .§§§§§§§§.
§..§..§§.. ..§§§§§§..
.......... ...§§§§...
§§§§§§§§§§ §§..§§..§§
§§§§§§§§§§ ...---^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^---... §........§
§§§§§§§§§§ .-^ 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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