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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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