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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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