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* The Glass factory. *
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@#£*^=.... Several Centuries After It Had Last ....=^*£#@
#@#£*^=... Belonged To Us, We Went On An Outing To ...=^*£#@#
##@#£*^=.. The Glass Factory That Bore Our Family ..=^*£#@##
#@#£*^=... Name. It Had Changed Owners Many Times ...=^*£#@#
@#£*^=.... Since Our Ancestors Death, And Then ....=^*£#@
#£*^=..... Stood Abandoned For A Long While. .....=^*£#
@#£*^=.... Finally, The Natural End Station For ....=^*£#@
#@#£*^=... The Buildings That Survive: A Museum, ...=^*£#@#
##@#£*^=.. And A Gift Shop. ..=^*£#@##
#@#£*^=... ...=^*£#@#
@#£*^=.... There'S A Long Time Since My Family ....=^*£#@
#£*^=..... Made Anything. By Many, We Would Be .....=^*£#
@#£*^=.... Considered Poor. ....=^*£#@
#@#£*^=... ...=^*£#@#
##@#£*^=.. There Are Two Main Factory Buildings, ..=^*£#@##
#@#£*^=... Domed Things Of Several Floors, Made In ...=^*£#@#
@#£*^=.... Yellow Brick. Large But Narrow Windows, ....=^*£#@
#£*^=..... Reminescent Of Some Cathedral. .....=^*£#
@#£*^=.... Custom-Made Glass, Of Course, Large And ....=^*£#@
#@#£*^=... LeadEd, And Ashen. A Bit Too Dark To Be ...=^*£#@#
##@#£*^=.. Practical. On The Eastern Building, ..=^*£#@##
#@#£*^=... Some Are Shattered. ...=^*£#@#
@#£*^=.... ....=^*£#@
#£*^=..... The Other One Is Publicly Open. There'S .....=^*£#
@#£*^=.... A Museum, With Wax Figures Of My Great ....=^*£#@
#@#£*^=... Great Great Grandfather, Or Something. ...=^*£#@#
##@#£*^=.. Various Tools (Or Replicas) Laid Out On ..=^*£#@##
#@#£*^=... Tables, With Explaining Texts. A Lot Of ...=^*£#@#
@#£*^=.... Glass Of Varying Thickness. ....=^*£#@
#£*^=..... .....=^*£#
@#£*^=.... ** ....=^*£#@
#@#£*^=... ** ** ...=^*£#@#
##@#£*^=.. ======= * * ======= ..=^*£#@##
#@#£*^=... ** ** ...=^*£#@#
@#£*^=.... ** ....=^*£#@
#£*^=..... .....=^*£#
@#£*^=.... I Quickly Sneak Out, And Climb Into The ....=^*£#@
#@#£*^=... Other Building. The Contrast Is ...=^*£#@#
##@#£*^=.. Overwhelming. It Must Have Stood ..=^*£#@##
#@#£*^=... Derelict For A Long Time, Windows ...=^*£#@#
@#£*^=.... Broken, Metallic Trash And Pools Of ....=^*£#@
#£*^=..... Dark Glass All Over The Floor. No .....=^*£#
@#£*^=.... Electric Lights, But I Can See By The ....=^*£#@
#@#£*^=... Light That Shines In Wherever The Dark ...=^*£#@#
##@#£*^=.. Windows Are Missing A Pane. ..=^*£#@##
#@#£*^=... ...=^*£#@#
@#£*^=.... However, The Greatest Difference Is The ....=^*£#@
#£*^=..... Higher Floors: This Building Has None. .....=^*£#
@#£*^=.... It Is One Massive Hall, Stretching Away ....=^*£#@
#@#£*^=... Infinitely Above Me. Somewhere Up There ...=^*£#@#
##@#£*^=.. Is Some Great Iron Latticework, From ..=^*£#@##
#@#£*^=... Where Chains Are Suspended, And Parts ...=^*£#@#
@#£*^=.... Of Machinery Has Been Falling Down. ....=^*£#@
#£*^=..... .....=^*£#
@#£*^=.... There Is, In The Middle Of The Great ....=^*£#@
#@#£*^=... Hall, A Thin Spiral Staircase That ...=^*£#@#
##@#£*^=.. Leads Up There. I Sneak Over There, And ..=^*£#@##
#@#£*^=... Take A Few Reluctant Steps. After Just ...=^*£#@#
@#£*^=.... A Revolution, I Notice That For Each ....=^*£#@
#£*^=..... Step The Building Starts To Glow, The .....=^*£#
@#£*^=.... Bricks Turning A Dark Red, And Then ....=^*£#@
#@#£*^=... Orange, All The Piled Up Debree Being ...=^*£#@#
##@#£*^=.. Lit From Behind. ..=^*£#@##
#@#£*^=... ...=^*£#@#
@#£*^=.... I Stop Ready To Run Down And Out, But ....=^*£#@
#£*^=..... There'S Someone Else On The Staircase .....=^*£#
@#£*^=.... With Me Now, Pressed Close. He'S ....=^*£#@
#@#£*^=... Looking Like Me, Short Hair And Thin ...=^*£#@#
##@#£*^=.. Arms, But With Ears From Some Animal, ..=^*£#@##
#@#£*^=... And More Disturbingly, Completely Made ...=^*£#@#
@#£*^=.... Of Dark Liquid glass. ....=^*£#@
#£*^=..... .....=^*£#
@#£*^=.... ** ....=^*£#@
#@#£*^=... ** ** ...=^*£#@#
##@#£*^=.. ======= * * ======= ..=^*£#@##
#@#£*^=... ** ** ...=^*£#@#
@#£*^=.... ** ....=^*£#@
#£*^=..... .....=^*£#
@#£*^=.... My Fear Holds Me In Place While He ....=^*£#@
#@#£*^=... Starts Operating Levers And Dials Set ...=^*£#@#
##@#£*^=.. In The Center Of The Staircase. Slowly, ..=^*£#@##
#@#£*^=... It Starts Spinning, Circling Upwards. ...=^*£#@#
@#£*^=.... It'S An Elevator! I Start To Run ....=^*£#@
#£*^=..... Downwards, But Now The Liquid Boy .....=^*£#
@#£*^=.... Creature Grabs Hold Of Me. I Try To ....=^*£#@
#@#£*^=... Shake Him Off, But He'S Too Strong, And ...=^*£#@#
##@#£*^=.. Pulls Me Back Up Beside Him. ..=^*£#@##
#@#£*^=... ...=^*£#@#
@#£*^=.... This Time, I Turn Angry Instead. What ....=^*£#@
#£*^=..... The Hell? Who Is This Guy, Acting Like .....=^*£#
@#£*^=.... This? I Reach Out My Free Arm And Slam ....=^*£#@
#@#£*^=... A Random Lever. Some Metal Bar Is ...=^*£#@#
##@#£*^=.. Suddenly Released Between Us, Hitting ..=^*£#@##
#@#£*^=... Him On The Arm, Forcing My Release. I ...=^*£#@#
@#£*^=.... Shove Him Off Of Me, And He Falls Into ....=^*£#@
#£*^=..... The Levers, Messing Them Up. .....=^*£#
@#£*^=.... Immediately, A Thin Rusty Chainmail ....=^*£#@
#@#£*^=... Curtain Is Dropped Around Me. But The ...=^*£#@#
##@#£*^=.. Elevator Also Speeds Up Significantly. ..=^*£#@##
#@#£*^=... ...=^*£#@#
@#£*^=.... The Walls Are Flaring Now, Yellow, ....=^*£#@
#£*^=..... White, Almost Blue. I Close My Eyes And .....=^*£#
@#£*^=.... Curl Into A Ball. But Then, The Glass ....=^*£#@
#@#£*^=... Boy Screams, A Piercing Sound That ...=^*£#@#
##@#£*^=.. Forces My Eyes Back Open. I Watch As He ..=^*£#@##
#@#£*^=... Becomes Too Liquid, His Body Pooling ...=^*£#@#
@#£*^=.... Down In His Now Massive Tail, And The ....=^*£#@
#£*^=..... Tip Of It Suddenly Breaks Of In A Glass .....=^*£#
@#£*^=.... Drop That Falls Toward The Factory ....=^*£#@
#@#£*^=... Floor. ...=^*£#@#
##@#£*^=.. ..=^*£#@##
#@#£*^=... He'S Crawling On The Stairs, Unable To ...=^*£#@#
@#£*^=.... Keep His Body Upright. Can'T Reach The ....=^*£#@
#£*^=..... Levers, Claws At My Chainmail Cage, .....=^*£#
@#£*^=.... While His Body Is Turning Into Dark ....=^*£#@
#@#£*^=... Pearls. Finally, He'S Lost Too Much Of ...=^*£#@#
##@#£*^=.. Himself And The Scream Is Cut Short. ..=^*£#@##
#@#£*^=... The Last Of Him Rains Down. ...=^*£#@#
@#£*^=.... ....=^*£#@
#£*^=..... I Still Can'T Reach The Levers From .....=^*£#
@#£*^=.... Within My Cage. Looking Up, I Try To ....=^*£#@
#@#£*^=... Make Out The Ceiling, But It'S All A ...=^*£#@#
##@#£*^=.. Whirling Sea Of Colours. Below Me Glows ..=^*£#@##
#@#£*^=... The Hellfire Of The Factory Walls, But ...=^*£#@#
@#£*^=.... Very Faint. I Sit Down, Curl Back Up, ....=^*£#@
#£*^=..... Become Still. .....=^*£#
@#£*^=.... ....=^*£#@
#@#£*^=... ** ...=^*£#@#
##@#£*^=.. ** ** ..=^*£#@##
#@#£*^=... ======= * * ======= ...=^*£#@#
@#£*^=.... ** ** ....=^*£#@
#£*^=..... ** .....=^*£#
@#£*^=.... ....=^*£#@
#@#£*^=... A Large Clunk Shakes My Entire Body, ...=^*£#@#
##@#£*^=.. And Snaps Me Back Into Reality. I'M ..=^*£#@##
#@#£*^=... Back At The Factory Floor, But The ...=^*£#@#
@#£*^=.... Stairs Are Still Moving Slightly, ....=^*£#@
#£*^=..... Clicking In Place, Carrying Me The Last .....=^*£#
@#£*^=.... Few Centimeters. I Came From Below, ....=^*£#@
#@#£*^=... Somehow. The Chainmail Is Retracted, ...=^*£#@#
##@#£*^=.. And I Slowly Dismount The Stairs. ..=^*£#@##
#@#£*^=... ...=^*£#@#
@#£*^=.... Shaking And Crying, I Make My Way Over ....=^*£#@
#£*^=..... The Factory Floor, Wading Through Dark .....=^*£#
@#£*^=.... Glass Marbles. A Quick Glance Down, And ....=^*£#@
#@#£*^=... I See There'S Something Faint Inside ...=^*£#@#
##@#£*^=.. Them. Embryos? Are These Eggs? ..=^*£#@##
#@#£*^=... ...=^*£#@#
@#£*^=.... I Shudder, And Climb Back Out. ....=^*£#@
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