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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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@¤§*~.,,,, §§ §§ ,,,,.~*§¤@
#@¤§*~.,,, §§ ,,,.~*§¤@#
##@¤§*~.,, ,,.~*§¤@##
###@¤§*~., 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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