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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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