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,.~;=£&&&# ,.; THE SPIRE ~;, #&&&£=;~.,
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,,,,.;;;=& ;~. 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. ;~. #££=~~...,
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,,,.~==&## ;.~ 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. ;~. ###&£=;~.,
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,,,,~~~;£& ;~. 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. ~.; &£=;~.,,,,
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,.~;;;;;=& ~.; IIRC IT'S CURRENTLY OWNED BY ;~. &=;;;;;~.,
,.~~~=£££# ~;. SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES ;.~ #£££=~~~.,
,,,,,..;£& ;~. IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT .;~ &£;..,,,,,
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