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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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