##§§†\«^¨¨ ¨¨^«\†§§##
###§§†\«^¨ ¨^«\†§§###
##§§†\«^¨¨ ¨¨^«\†§§##
#§§†\«^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^«\†§§#
§§†\«^¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨^«\†§§
#§§†\«^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^^^\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\^^^¨¨¨ ¨¨¨^«\†§§#
##§§†\«^¨¨ ¨^\ 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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