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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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