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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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