,,,,,.~=$$ $$=~.,,,,,
,,,,.~=$$§ §$$=~.,,,,
,,,.~=$$§£ £§$$=~.,,,
,,.~=$$§£# #£§$$=~.,,
,.~=$$§£## ##£§$$=~.,
,,.~=$$§£# ,,,...============================...,,, #£§$$=~.,,
,,,.~=$$§£ ,.= THE SPIRE ~=, £§$$=~.,,,
,,,,.~=$$§ ~=.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~=~. §$$=~.,,,,
,,,,,.~=$$ =~. ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A =.~ $$=~.,,,,,
,,,,,,.~=$ =.~ 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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,,,,,.~=$$ $$=~.,,,,,
,,,,,,.~=$ $=~.,,,,,,
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