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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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