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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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