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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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