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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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