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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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