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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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