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¨^«§$¤£@## =«^ ONCE UPON A TIME, THERE WAS A    =^« ##@£¤$§«^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^«=$¤ =^« BENEVOLENT SPIRE, TOWERING  WELL ^=« ¤$=«^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^^^«««§$¤ ^=« ABOVE OUR  TALLEST TREES. IT WAS ^«= ¤$§«««^^^¨
¨¨¨¨¨«§$¤@ ^«= CLAD IN WHITE SCALES, AND SHAPED «^= @¤$§«¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^=$£ «^=       LIKED  A   MUSHROOM.       «=^ £$=^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^«=§§§$¤@ «=^      WE  LOVED  IT  DEARLY.      =«^ @¤$§§§=«^¨
¨¨¨^«==§$¤ =«^««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««=^« ¤$§==«^¨¨¨
¨^«=§$¤£@@ =^« IT PREDATED  US  BY MANY YEARS,  ^=« @@£¤$§=«^¨
¨^«=§$¤¤£@ ^=« AND WE DID NOT KNOW ITS ORIGINAL ^«= @£¤¤$§=«^¨
¨^«=§$¤£@# ^«=  BUILDERS.  THEY HAD  USED  ITS  «^= #@£¤$§=«^¨
¨^«=§$¤£££ «^= HOLLOW  BODY  FOR  MANY STRANGE  «=^ £££¤$§=«^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^=§¤¤ «=^ PURPOSES - A WOMBLIKE PLACE  OF  =«^ ¤¤§=^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^«=§$¤£@# =«^ GESTATION, A STORAGE OF  STRAGE  =^« #@£¤$§=«^¨
¨¨¨¨^«§§¤£ =^« FLUIDS, A TEMPLE TO SOME KIND OF ^=« £¤§§«^¨¨¨¨
¨^««=§§$¤@ ^=«    ARCANE    DEITY.              ^«= @¤$§§=««^¨
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¨¨¨^=§$¤¤¤ «^=  WE  WERE   GRATEFUL  FOR  ITS   «=^ ¤¤¤$§=^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^«§$¤ «=^  PRESENCE, AND  HONORED  IT  THE =«^ ¤$§«^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^=§¤ =«^  ONLY  WAY  WE  KNEW  HOW:  BY   =^« ¤§=^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^«=§¤£@## ¨^«        BREAKING        IN.       ^«¨ ##@£¤§=«^¨
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¨^«=§$¤£@# ¨«=  THIS PLACE  WE CALLED OUR CITY: ^=« #@£¤$§=«^¨
¨^«=§$¤¤¤@ ^=«  WAVY  AND FRACTURED,  WITH EACH =^« @¤¤¤$§=«^¨
¨^«=§$¤£@@ =^« COURTYARD ON A DIFFERENT HEIGHT, =«^ @@£¤$§=«^¨
¨¨¨^==$$$£ =«^  ROADS BECOMING  ROOFS BECOMING  «=^ £$$$==^¨¨¨
¨^«=§$¤£@# «=^  DRAINS. AND SOME  PLACES,  LIKE «^= #@£¤$§=«^¨
¨^«=§$¤£@# «^= THE SPIRE, NOBODY  HAD ACCESSED  ^«= #@£¤$§=«^¨
¨^«=§$$$¤¤ ^«=  FOR  MANY YEARS. ONCE ITS WALLS ^=« ¤¤$$$§=«^¨
¨^«=§$¤£@# ^=« ARE  JUST  TOO  HIGH,  AND  THE  =^« #@£¤$§=«^¨
¨^«=§$¤£££ =^« INTERNAL ROUTES TO LABYRINTHINE, =«^ £££¤$§=«^¨
¨^«=§$¤£## =«^ A PLACE  AMONG OTHERS IS  EASILY «=^ ##£¤$§=«^¨
¨^«=§$¤£@# «=^           OVERLOOKED.            ^«= #@£¤$§=«^¨
¨^«=§$$$$¤ ^«=««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««^=« ¤$$$$§=«^¨
¨^«=§¤£@## ^=« SO,  BASICALLY, THAT SUMMER THE  =^« ##@£¤§=«^¨
¨^«=§$¤£@# =^« FOUR OF US SNUCK AND CLIMBED AND «^= #@£¤$§=«^¨
¨^«=§$¤£@# =«^ CRAWLED FOR WEEKS, SEARCHING FOR «=^ #@£¤$§=«^¨
¨¨¨««««§¤¤ «=^ A SECLUDED PLACE TO DO DRUGS AND «^= ¤¤§««««¨¨¨
¨¨^^==§¤¤¤ «^=  PLAY MUSIC ON  OUR  HANDHELDS.  ^«= ¤¤¤§==^^¨¨
¨^«=§$¤£@@ ^«=  INSTEAD  WE  FOUND  VAST LUNGS  ^=« @@£¤$§=«^¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨^=$£ ^=«   DRAINED  OF  THEIR  CATALYST   =^« £$=^¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨^«=§$¤@## =^« SLUDGE, AND A  BIRDS-EYE VIEW TO =«^ ##@¤$§=«^¨
¨^«=§$¤£## =«^  MAKE SENSE OF OUR ROAMINGS  FOR «=^ ##£¤$§=«^¨
¨^«=§$¤@## «=^         YEARS  TO   COME.        «^= ##@¤$§=«^¨
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¨^«=====$£ ^«= A  CENTRAL SPINE,  A  STAIRCASE  ^=« £$=====«^¨
¨^«=§$¤£££ ^=«  AROUND  IT, THE SEVEN  TOROIDAL =^« £££¤$§=«^¨
¨^^^=§$$$¤ =^« LUNGS  STACKED OUTSIDE, AND  THE =«^ ¤$$$§=^^^¨
¨^«=§$¤£@@ =«^ CONTROL ROOM ON TOP. THE SOCKETS «=^ @@£¤$§=«^¨
¨¨¨^«§§§¤¤ «=^ FOR ITS EYES. THE SMALLER SPIRES «^= ¤¤§§§«^¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨^«=§¤ «^=  FOR  RADIATING  CONSCIOUSNESS   ^«= ¤§=«^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^«=§$¤£@# ¨«=           INVITATIONS.           ^=¨ #@£¤$§=«^¨
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¨^«=§$¤£@# ¨^= IN TWENTY FOURTEEN, THE TOWER IS =«^ #@£¤$§=«^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^=§$£ «=^  TOPPLED AND EATEN BY MACHINES.  =^« £$§=^¨¨¨¨¨
¨^«=§$¤£@# =«^ AFTER A WHILE, SOMETHING  NEW IS ^=« #@£¤$§=«^¨
¨^«=§$¤£@@ =^« CONJURED IN ITS  PLACE.  IT'S A  ^«= @@£¤$§=«^¨
¨^^^«««§¤£ ^=« TINY MAW AT FIRST, SHORTER THAN  «^= £¤§«««^^^¨
¨¨¨¨^^=$¤@ ^«=  US,  AND  WE  LET IT  BE.  OUR  «=^ @¤$=^^¨¨¨¨
¨^«=§$¤£@# «^= JOURNEYS  STILL END AT ITS FEET. =«^ #@£¤$§=«^¨
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¨^«=§$$¤¤@ =«^ BUT THEN WE  ARE  BETRAYED. THE  ^=« @¤¤$$§=«^¨
¨¨¨¨^=§§§¤ =^« NEW  TOWER  EATS  US. OTHERS ARE ^«= ¤§§§=^¨¨¨¨
¨^«=§$¤£@@ ^=« SUCKED INSIDE. NEW BUILDINGS ARE «^= @@£¤$§=«^¨
¨^«=§$¤£@# ^«= MANIFESTED OVERNIGHT,  ONLY  TO  «=^ #@£¤$§=«^¨
¨^«=§$¤£@@ «^= DISAPPEAR IN  THE  EVENING FOG.  =«^ @@£¤$§=«^¨
¨^«=§$¤£@# «=^ FOR A WHILE  ITS SOME  KIND  OF  =^« #@£¤$§=«^¨
¨¨¨¨¨«=$¤@ =«^ TIMESHARE SCAM. GOONS ARE PLACED ^=« @¤$=«¨¨¨¨¨
¨^«=§$¤@## =^« OUTSIDE, AND WE GET BEATEN UP  A ^«= ##@¤$§=«^¨
¨¨¨¨¨^=§$¤ ^=«  FEW  TIMES,  AND  STOP  GOING.  «^= ¤$§=^¨¨¨¨¨
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¨¨¨¨¨^«§¤@ «^= IIRC  IT'S CURRENTLY  OWNED  BY  =«^ @¤§«^¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨^«=§§$$£ «=^ SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES =^« £$$§§=«^¨¨
¨^«=§$¤£@# =«^ IT  TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT ^=« #@£¤$§=«^¨
¨¨¨^^«=§¤@ ¨^«             CARS.....            ^«¨ @¤§=«^^¨¨¨
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