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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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