#@&£*:~,.. ..,~:*£&@#
@&£*:~,... ...,~:*£&@
#@&£*:~,.. ..,~:*£&@#
##@&£*:~,. .,~:*£&@##
#@&£*:~,.. ..,~:*£&@#
@&£*:~,... ...,,,::::::::::::::::::::::::::::,,,... ...,~:*£&@
#@&£*:~,.. .,: 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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