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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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