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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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