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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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