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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.           ^*. ..........
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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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