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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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