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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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