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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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