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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. ,^==%£¤@##
#@¤£%==^,, ,,^==%£¤@#
@¤£%==^,,, %% ,,,^==%£¤@
¤£%==^,,,, %% %% ,,,,^==%£¤
£%==^,,,,, ======= % % ======= ,,,,,^==%£
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=^,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,^=
^,,,,,,,,, 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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%==^,,,,,, 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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