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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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