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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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