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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 =^« ,^«=%£####
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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. ^«= ,^«=%£¤###
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###¤£%=«^, ^=« 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 ^=« ,,,^=%£¤¤¤
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