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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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