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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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