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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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