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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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