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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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