@@@#%%†-,¨ ¨,-†%%#@@@
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##@#%%†-,¨ ¨,† THE SPIRE -†¨ ¨,-†%%#@##
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@%†††-¨¨¨¨ †-, 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. ,†¨ ¨,-†%%#@##
##%††,,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,,,††††††††††††††††††††††††††††,,,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,,††%##
##@#%%†-,¨ ¨,-†%%#@##
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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. -,† ¨,-†%%%%%@
##@#%%†-,¨ ,-†-----------------------------------†, ¨,-†%%#@##
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#@@#%%†-,¨ -†, SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES †,- ¨,-†%%#@@#
##@#%%†-,¨ †-, IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT ,†- ¨,-†%%#@##
###@#%†-,¨ ¨,- CARS..... ,-¨ ¨,-†%#@###
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