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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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