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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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