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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  »†, #§§%%»....
.,»†%$§### »†,  PRESENCE, AND  HONORED  IT THE  †», ###§$%†»,.
.,»†%$§### †»,   ONLY  WAY  WE  KNEW  HOW:  BY  †,» ###§$%†»,.
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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.         »,† ####§%†»,.
.,»†%$§### »,†»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»,»† ###§$%†»,.
.,»†%$§### ,»† A  CENTRAL SPINE,  A  STAIRCASE  ,†» ###§$%†»,.
.,»†%$§### ,†» AROUND IT,  THE SEVEN  TOROIDAL  †,» ###§$%†»,.
.,»†%$§### †,»  LUNGS STACKED OUTSIDE,  AND THE †», ###§$%†»,.
.,»†%$§§§# †», CONTROL ROOM ON TOP. THE SOCKETS »†, #§§§$%†»,.
.,»†%$§### »†, FOR ITS EYES. THE SMALLER SPIRES »,† ###§$%†»,.
.,»†%$$$§§ »,†  FOR  RADIATING  CONSCIOUSNESS   ,»† §§$$$%†»,.
.,†%$§#### .»†           INVITATIONS.           ,†. ####§$%†,.
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.,»†%$§###                                          ###§$%†»,.
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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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.,†%$§#### †,» NEW TOWER EATS  US.  OTHERS ARE  ,»† ####§$%†,.
.....,»%$§ ,†» SUCKED INSIDE. NEW BUILDINGS ARE »,† §$%»,.....
.,»†%$§### ,»† MANIFESTED OVERNIGHT,  ONLY  TO  »†, ###§$%†»,.
...,,,»%§§ »,† 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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.,»†%$§###                                          ###§$%†»,.
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