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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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