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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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.##.##.#.. .#.#.##..#
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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. ~-: .#.#.##..#
..#..#.#.# -~:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:- .#.#..#.##
.##.##.#.. ~-: IIRC IT'S CURRENTLY OWNED BY :~- .#.#.##..#
..#..#.#.# ~:- SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES :-~ .#.#..#.##
.##.##.#.. :~- IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT -:~ .#.#.##..#
..#..#.#.# .-~ CARS..... -~. .#.#..#.##
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