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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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