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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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