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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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