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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. ~:= &..&.&.&.&
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&..&..&.&. :~= 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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