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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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