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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. ,,,,,,,,.~
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,,,,,,,,,, ** ,,,,,,,,,,
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,,,,,,,,,, ** ** ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ** ,,,,,,,,,,
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~.,,,,,,,, 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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