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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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