§§..§....§ .§§.....§§
§.....§§.. ....§§§..§
..§§§..... .§§..§....
§..§..§§§§ .......§§§
.......§§§ .§§§§§..§§
.§§§§§..§§ ...---;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;---... ..§§§.....
..§§§....§ .-; 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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