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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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