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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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