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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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