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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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