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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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