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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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