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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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