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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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