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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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