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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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