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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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