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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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