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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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