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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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