@££\~~~^,,                                          ,,^~~~\££@
##@§£*\~^,                                          ,^~\*£§@##
@@@§£*\~^,                                          ,^~\*£§@@@
@§£\\^,,,,                                          ,,,,^\\£§@
@§§**\\~^,                                          ,^~\\**§§@
@@§§£*\~^, ,,,^^^\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\^^^,,, ,^~\*£§§@@
@@@§£*\~^, ,^\            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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