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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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