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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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