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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 ~=. ¨@¨@¨@@¨@¨
@¨@@¨@¨@¨@ ~=. 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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