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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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