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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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