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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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