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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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