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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. «.† ¨¨¨¨¨¨«**§
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###§@*†«.¨ «.† IIRC IT'S CURRENTLY OWNED BY †«. ¨.«†*@§###
####§*†«.¨ «†. SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES †.« ¨.«†*§####
###§@*†«.¨ †«. IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT .†« ¨.«†*@§###
###§@*†«.¨ ¨.« CARS..... .«¨ ¨.«†*@§###
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