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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. ^~. ..^^/^&§§§
##£§&^/~^. ...^^^////////////////////////////^^^... .^~/^&§£##
###§&^/~^. .^~/^&§###
££&&/^.... ....^/&&££
£&&/~~.... ...^^^////////////////////////////^^^... ....~~/&&£
§&/~...... .~/ 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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