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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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