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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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