^^^^^^^^
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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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