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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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