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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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