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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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