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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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