,,&,,&,&&& &,&,&&&&,&
&,&&,&&&,, &&&&&,,,&&
,&&,&&,,&, &,,,,&,,&,
,&,&&,&,&& ,&,,,&&,&&
&&&&,&&&&, ,&&,,&,&&,
&,,,&&,,,& ,,,...============================...,,, ,&,&,&&&,&
,&,,&,&,,& ,.= 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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