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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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