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##¶£¤*†~.¨                                          ¨.~†*¤£¶##
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£¤*†~.¨¨¨¨ ~†.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~†~. ¨¨¨¨.~†*¤£
¤*†~.¨¨¨¨¨ †~. 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.                .~† ¨.~†*¤£¶##
###¶£¤*†~. .~†~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.† .~†*¤£¶###
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#¶£¤*†~.¨¨ ~†.  PRESENCE,  AND  HONORED  IT THE †~. ¨¨.~†*¤£¶#
¶£¤*†~.¨¨¨ †~.  ONLY  WAY  WE  KNEW  HOW:  BY   †.~ ¨¨¨.~†*¤£¶
£¤*†~.¨¨¨¨ ¨.~        BREAKING        IN.       .~¨ ¨¨¨¨.~†*¤£
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†~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~†
~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨...††††††††††††††††††††††††††††...¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~
.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨~† 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.           .~† ¨.~†*¤£¶##
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##¶£¤*†~.¨ .†~  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.           .†¨ ¨¨.~†*¤£¶#
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¤*†~.¨¨¨¨¨ †.~  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 .†~ ¨¨¨¨.~†*¤£
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#¶£¤*†~.¨¨ .†~  FEW  TIMES,  AND  STOP  GOING.  ~.† ¨¨.~†*¤£¶#
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¤*†~.¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨.~†*¤
*†~.¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨.~†*
†~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~†
~.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.~
.¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.