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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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