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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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