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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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