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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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