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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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