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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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