###&§^/~:, ,:~/^§##
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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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