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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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