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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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