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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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