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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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