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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 ~/: ...::~/$$@
##$/~..... ~/: A SECLUDED PLACE TO DO DRUGS AND ~:/ .....~/$##
#%/:...... ~:/ PLAY  MUSIC ON  OUR HANDHELDS.   :~/ ......:/%#
#%%/~:.... :~/  INSTEAD  WE  FOUND  VAST LUNGS  :/~ ....:~/%%#
##@#$%/~:. :/~   DRAINED  OF  THEIR  CATALYST   /:~ .:~/%$#@##
####$%/~:. /:~ SLUDGE, AND A BIRDS-EYE  VIEW TO /~: .:~/%$####
##@#$%/~:. /~: MAKE  SENSE OF OUR ROAMINGS FOR  ~/: .:~/%$#@##
##$%/:.... ~/:         YEARS   TO  COME.        ~:/ ....:/%$##
@#$%/~.... ~:/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:~/ ....~/%$#@
###@#$/~:. :~/  A CENTRAL  SPINE, A  STAIRCASE  :/~ .:~/$#@###
@#%~~~:... :/~  AROUND IT, THE  SEVEN  TOROIDAL /:~ ...:~~~%#@
##@#$%/~:. /:~ LUNGS  STACKED OUTSIDE, AND THE  /~: .:~/%$#@##
#%/::..... /~: CONTROL ROOM ON TOP. THE SOCKETS ~/: .....::/%#
##@#$%/~:. ~/: FOR ITS EYES. THE SMALLER SPIRES ~:/ .:~/%$#@##
####$%/~:. ~:/  FOR  RADIATING  CONSCIOUSNESS   :~/ .:~/%$####
###@#$%/:. .~/           INVITATIONS.           :/. .:/%$#@###
@$$$$%/~:. ...:::////////////////////////////:::... .:~/%$$$$@
#$%/:.....                                          .....:/%$#
##@#$%/~:. ...:::////////////////////////////:::... .:~/%$#@##
##@#$%/~:. .:/ IN TWENTY FOURTEEN, THE TOWER IS /~: .:~/%$#@##
@$//:..... ~/: TOPPLED  AND EATEN BY MACHINES.  /:~ .....://$@
#%/::..... /~: AFTER A WHILE, SOMETHING NEW  IS :/~ .....::/%#
#@$$$%/~:. /:~ 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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