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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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