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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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