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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. .~, &&,&,&,&,&
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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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