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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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