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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. -\, ,,,,¤¤¤,,¤
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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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