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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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