#@##%†:~., ,.~:†%##@#
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##††††:~., ,.~:††††##
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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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