,&,,,&,&&& ,,,&&&,,&,
,,&,,,,&,& &,,&,&&,,&
&,,&,,,,,& &&,,,&&&,,
,&,,&,,,,& &&&,,&,&&,
,,&,,&,,,, &,&&,,,&&&
&,,&,,&,,, ,,,:::============================:::,,, ,,&&&,,&,&
&&,,&,,&,, ,:= 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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,,,,,&,,&, ,&,,,&,,&,