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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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