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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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