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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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