@@.@...... @@@.@@.@@@
..@@@..... ...@@.@@..
..@..@.... ...@.@@.@.
..@@.@@... ...@@@.@@@
@.@.@@.@.. ...@..@@..
@@@@@.@@@. ...~~~;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;~~~... @..@@.@.@.
@....@@..@ .~; 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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