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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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