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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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