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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. ,*, ,,,,,,~*§@
£@§*~,,,,, ,,,,,,****************************,,,,,, ,,,,,~*§@£
¶£@§*~,,,, ,,,,~*§@£¶
#¶£@§*~,,, ,,,,,,****************************,,,,,, ,,,~*§@£¶#
##¶£@§*~,, ,,* 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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