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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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