,,,,,,«/$&                                          &$/«,,,,,,
,,«/†$&@##                                          ##@&$†/«,,
,,«/†$&@##                                          ##@&$†/«,,
,,«/†$&&@@                                          @@&&$†/«,,
,,«/†$&@##                                          ##@&$†/«,,
,,«/†$&&&@ ,,,,,,////////////////////////////,,,,,, @&&&$†/«,,
,,«/†$&@## ,,/            The  Spire            «/, ##@&$†/«,,
,,«/†$@### «/,««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««/«, ###@$†/«,,
,,,,«/†$@@ /«, Once Upon A Time, There Was A    /,« @@$†/«,,,,
,,«/†$&@## /,« Benevolent Spire,  Towering Well ,/« ##@&$†/«,,
,,,,,,/†$@ ,/« Above  Our Tallest Trees. It Was ,«/ @$†/,,,,,,
,,,,««/†&@ ,«/ 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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,,«/†††††&                                          &†††††/«,,
,,,,,,,/†&                                          &†/,,,,,,,
,,«/†$&@##                                          ##@&$†/«,,