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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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