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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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