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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. ,,,,~;%§@@
@@@§%;~,,, ,,,~;%§@@@
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;~,,,,,,,, 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. ,,,,,,,,~;
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§%;~,,,,,, 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. ,,,,,,~;%§
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;~,,,,,,,, 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. ,,,,~;%§@@
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;~,,,,,,,, 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. ,,,,~;%§@@
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#@@@§%;~,, 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. ,,,,,~;%§@
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%;~,,,,,,, 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. ,,,,,~;%§@
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%;~,,,,,,, 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. ,,,,~;%§@@
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#@@@§%;~,, 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? ,,,,,,~;%§
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;~,,,,,,,, I Shudder, And Climb Back Out. ,,,,,,,,~;
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