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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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