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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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