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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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