$^†=.¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨.=†^$
@$^†=.¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨.=†^$@
£@$^†=.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.=†^$@£
#£@$^†=.¨¨                                          ¨¨.=†^$@£#
##£@$^†=.¨                                          ¨.=†^$@£##
#£@$^†=.¨¨ ¨¨¨...††††††††††††††††††††††††††††...¨¨¨ ¨¨.=†^$@£#
£@$^†=.¨¨¨ ¨.†            THE  SPIRE            =†¨ ¨¨¨.=†^$@£
@$^†=.¨¨¨¨ =†.==================================†=. ¨¨¨¨.=†^$@
$^†=.¨¨¨¨¨ †=. ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A    †.= ¨¨¨¨¨.=†^$
^†=.¨¨¨¨¨¨ †.= 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.               .=† ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨.=†
^†=.¨¨¨¨¨¨ .=†===================================.† ¨¨¨¨¨¨.=†^
$^†=.¨¨¨¨¨ =.†  WE   WERE  GRATEFUL   FOR  ITS  =†. ¨¨¨¨¨.=†^$
@$^†=.¨¨¨¨ =†. PRESENCE,  AND HONORED  IT  THE  †=. ¨¨¨¨.=†^$@
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#£@$^†=.¨¨ ¨.=        BREAKING        IN.       .=¨ ¨¨.=†^$@£#
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#£@$^†=.¨¨                                          ¨¨.=†^$@£#
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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 =.† ¨¨¨¨¨¨.=†^
$^†=.¨¨¨¨¨ =.†   FOR  RADIATING  CONSCIOUSNESS  .=† ¨¨¨¨¨.=†^$
@$^†=.¨¨¨¨ ¨=†           INVITATIONS.           .†¨ ¨¨¨¨.=†^$@
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#£@$^†=.¨¨                                          ¨¨.=†^$@£#
##£@$^†=.¨ ¨¨¨...††††††††††††††††††††††††††††...¨¨¨ ¨.=†^$@£##
#£@$^†=.¨¨ ¨.† IN TWENTY FOURTEEN, THE TOWER IS †=. ¨¨.=†^$@£#
£@$^†=.¨¨¨ =†. TOPPLED AND EATEN BY  MACHINES.  †.= ¨¨¨.=†^$@£
@$^†=.¨¨¨¨ †=. AFTER A WHILE,  SOMETHING NEW IS .†= ¨¨¨¨.=†^$@
$^†=.¨¨¨¨¨ †.= CONJURED IN ITS  PLACE.  IT'S  A .=† ¨¨¨¨¨.=†^$
^†=.¨¨¨¨¨¨ .†= 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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##£@$^†=.¨                                          ¨.=†^$@£##
#£@$^†=.¨¨                                          ¨¨.=†^$@£#
£@$^†=.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.=†^$@£
@$^†=.¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨.=†^$@
$^†=.¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨.=†^$