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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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