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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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