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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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