##,,,,,,,, ,,#,,#,,,,
,,,####### ,,,,,,,##,
##,,###### ######,,,,
,,,,,####, #####,,##,
####,,##,, ,###,,,,,,
,##,,,,,,, ,,,^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^,,, ,,#,,####,
,,,,###### ,^^ 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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