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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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