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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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