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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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