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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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