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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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