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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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