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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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