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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.        :«, ,@,@,@,@,@
@,@,@,@,@, ,,,:::////////////////////////////:::,,, ,@,@,@,@,,
@,@,@,@,@,                                          ,@,@,@,@,@
@,@,@,@,@,                                          ,@,@,@,@,,
@,@,@,@,@, ,,,:::////////////////////////////:::,,, ,@,@,@,@,@
@,@,@,@,@, ,«/ 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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