...@.@@@.. @@..@.@.@.
.....@.@@. .@@......@
@......@@@ .@@@......
.@.....@.@ .@.@@.....
..@......@ ...@@@....
...@.....@ ...^^^;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;^^^... ...@.@@...
....@..... .^; 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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