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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. ###@*†=,..
.,=†*@#### ####@*†=,.
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.,=†*@#### ** ** ####@*†=,.
..,=†*@### ======= * * ======= ###@*†=,..
.,=†*@#### ** ** ####@*†=,.
..,=†*@### ** ###@*†=,..
.,=†*@#### ####@*†=,.
..,=†*@### 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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