###¤$=\=,, ,,=\=$¤###
##¤$=\=,,, ,,,=\=$¤##
#¤$=\=,,,, ,,,,=\=$¤#
¤$=\=,,,,, ,,,,,=\=$¤
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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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