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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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