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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. ,,,,,--\§%
&%§\--,,,, ,,,,--\§%&
¶&%§\--,,, §§ ,,,--\§%&¶
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%§\--,,,,, 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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