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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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