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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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