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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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