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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 ,,,,,:»\$&
$\»:,,,,,, Make Out The Ceiling, But It'S All A ,,,,,,:»\$
\»:,,,,,,, Whirling Sea Of Colours. Below Me Glows ,,,,,,,:»\
»:,,,,,,,, The Hellfire Of The Factory Walls, But ,,,,,,,,:»
:,,,,,,,,, Very Faint. I Sit Down, Curl Back Up, ,,,,,,,,,:
,,,,,,,,,, Become Still. ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
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#&$\»:,,,, 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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