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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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