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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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