..,«;§£&@#                                          #@&£§;«,..
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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.        ,«. @&£§;«,...
....,«;§£& ...,,,;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;,,,... &£§;«,....
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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.           ,«; #@&£§;«,..
...,«;§£&@ ,«;««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««,;« @&£§;«,...
....,«;§£& ,;« 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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