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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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