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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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