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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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