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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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