###¤&=\~,. .,~\=&¤###
##¤&=\~,.. ..,~\=&¤##
###¤&=\~,. .,~\=&¤###
##¤&=\~,.. ..,~\=&¤##
###¤&=\~,. .,~\=&¤###
##¤&=\~,.. ...,,,\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\,,,... ..,~\=&¤##
###¤&=\~,. .,\ 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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###¤&=\~,. .,~\=&¤###