##@¶#%=~~, ,~~=%#¶@##
#@¶#%%=~~, ,~~=%%#¶@#
#@¶#%%=~~, ,~~=%%#¶@#
##@¶#%=~~, ,~~=%#¶@##
¶%%%~~,,,, ,,,,~~%%%¶
@¶#%%%=~~, ,,,~~~============================~~~,,, ,~~=%%%#¶@
#%%%=~~~,, ,~= 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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