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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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