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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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