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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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