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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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