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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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