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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.      ^~. ..~^†§£###
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###£§†^~.. ^.~  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.               .~^ ..~~~††§##
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###£§†^~.. ~.^   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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###£§†^~.. ^~. IT TO HOLD ALL  HIS FOURTY EIGHT .^~ ..~^†§£###
#£££§†^~.. ..~            CARS.....             .~. ..~^†§£££#
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