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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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