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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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