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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. ,~† ¨¨¨¨¨,~==§
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@@#§%=†~,¨ ~,† 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. ,~† ¨,~†=%§#@#
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§§§==~,¨¨¨ ,†~ 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 ,†~ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,†%#
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