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#§££^^†=:.                                          .:=†^^££§#
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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.              :=† .....=^£§@
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#@#§£^†=:. =:†  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.        =:† .:=†^£§#@#
##@§£^†=:. =:†==================================:=† .:=†^£§@##
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##@#§£^=:. :†=  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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