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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.....            ~-. £*^-~.....
....~-^*££ ...~~~^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^~~~... ££*^-~....
...~-^*££¶                                          ¶££*^-~...
..~-^*££¶#                                          #¶££*^-~..
.~-^*££¶##                                          ##¶££*^-~.
..~-^*££¶#                                          #¶££*^-~..
...~-^*££¶                                          ¶££*^-~...