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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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