##.#.##...                                          ##.###....
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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.       .«. ....#.##..
...#...... ......††††††††††††††††††††††††††††...... ......###.
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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  «†. #...###..#
#......... Ǡ.            OVERLOOKED.           .Ǡ .#..#.##..
.#........ .«†««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««.†« ..#...###.
..#....... .†« 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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###..#.##. ......††††††††††††††††††††††††††††...... #..#.##...
#.##...### ..† 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 «.† ..#.##...#
.##...###. .Ǡ  US, AND  WE  LET  IT  BE.  OUR  Ǡ. ....###..#
.###..#.## «.† JOURNEYS STILL END AT  ITS FEET. †«. ....#.##..
.#.##...## «†.««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««†.« ......###.
...###..#. †«.  BUT  THEN WE ARE BETRAYED.  THE .†« ......#.##
#..#.##... †.«  NEW TOWER EATS US. OTHERS  ARE  .«† ........##
##...###.. .†« SUCKED INSIDE. NEW BUILDINGS ARE «.† ........#.
###..#.##. .Ǡ  MANIFESTED OVERNIGHT,  ONLY  TO Ǡ. ..........
#.##...### «.†  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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