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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 «.: ¤^^^^::«..
..«:^$¤### «.: LIKED A MUSHROOM. «:. ###¤$^:«..
...«««:$¤# «:. WE LOVED IT DEARLY. :«. #¤$:«««...
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......««^¤ :.« 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. .«: ¤¤^:«.....
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.....:$$$¤ «.: WE WERE GRATEFUL FOR ITS «:. ¤$$$:.....
..«:^$¤### «:. PRESENCE, AND HONORED IT THE :«. ###¤$^:«..
..«:^$¤### :«. ONLY WAY WE KNEW HOW: BY :.« ###¤$^:«..
..«:^$¤### ..« BREAKING IN. .«. ###¤$^:«..
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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 «:. #¤^^««....
..«:^$¤### «:. OVERLOOKED. .«: ###¤$^:«..
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..«:^$¤### .:« SO, BASICALLY, THAT SUMMER THE :.« ###¤$^:«..
..«:^$¤### :.« FOUR OF US SNUCK AND CLIMBED AND «.: ###¤$^:«..
..«:^$¤### :«. CRAWLED FOR WEEKS, SEARCHING FOR «:. ###¤$^:«..
..«:^$¤### «:. A SECLUDED PLACE TO DO DRUGS AND «.: ###¤$^:«..
....««:$## «.: PLAY MUSIC ON OUR HANDHELDS. .«: ##$:««....
......:$¤# .«: INSTEAD WE FOUND VAST LUNGS .:« #¤$:......
..«:^$¤### .:« DRAINED OF THEIR CATALYST :.« ###¤$^:«..
..«:^$¤### :.« SLUDGE, AND A BIRDS-EYE VIEW TO :«. ###¤$^:«..
......«^¤# :«. MAKE SENSE OF OUR ROAMINGS FOR «:. #¤^«......
..«:^$¤### «:. YEARS TO COME. «.: ###¤$^:«..
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....««^¤¤# .«: 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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..«:^$¤### «.: IIRC IT'S CURRENTLY OWNED BY :«. ###¤$^:«..
..«:^$¤¤¤# «:. SOME ENERGY DRINK BARON WHO USES :.« #¤¤¤$^:«..
..«:^$¤¤## :«. IT TO HOLD ALL HIS FOURTY EIGHT .:« ##¤¤$^:«..
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