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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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