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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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