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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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