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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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