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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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......**¤# .«*  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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