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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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