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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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