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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. ,*¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
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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 ,*« ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨,« CARS..... ,«¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
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