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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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