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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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