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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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