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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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