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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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