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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.           :=. ##@#£^=~:.
.:~=^¤££££ ...:::============================:::... ££££¤^=~:.
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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. =~: ###£¤^=~:.
......:=^£ ~=:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~=:~ £^=:......
....~==^¤# =~: 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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.:~=^¤£#@#                                          #@#£¤^=~:.
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