..§.§..§.§                                          .§..§§....
.§§.§.§§.§                                          .§.§.§....
§.§.§..§.§                                          .§.§.§....
§.§.§.§§.§                                          .§.§.§...§
§.§.§..§.§                                          .§.§.§..§.
§.§.§.§§.§ ...^^^////////////////////////////^^^... .§.§.§.§§.
§.§.§..§.§ .^/            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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