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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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