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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. ,,,,,,-~†%
§%†~-,,,,, ,,,,,-~†%§
§§%†~-,,,, %% ,,,,-~†%§§
@§§%†~-,,, %% %% ,,,-~†%§§@
@@§§%†~-,, ~~~~~~~ % % ~~~~~~~ ,,-~†%§§@@
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@@§§%†~-,, %% ,,-~†%§§@@
@§§%†~-,,, ,,,-~†%§§@
§§%†~-,,,, 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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