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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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