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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. :-¨ ¨:-†§@@@@#
#@@@@§†-:¨ ¨¨¨:::††††††††††††††††††††††††††††:::¨¨¨ ¨:-†§@@@@#
@@@†:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:†@@@
@@§§--¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨--§§@@
@@††:¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨:::††††††††††††††††††††††††††††:::¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨:††@@
@@§§--¨¨¨¨ ¨-† 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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