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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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