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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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