,,,,«\\£¶¶                                          ¶¶£\\«,,,,
,:«\†££¶##                                          ##¶££†\«:,
,,,,:«\††£                                          £††\«:,,,,
,,,,,«††£¶                                          ¶£††«,,,,,
,,,:«\\££¶                                          ¶££\\«:,,,
,,,««««†£¶ ,,,:::\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\:::,,, ¶£†««««,,,
,:«\†££¶## ,:\            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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