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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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