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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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