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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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