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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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