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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. ,,,,,,,:»:
»:,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,:»
:,,,,,,,,, †† ,,,,,,,,,:
,,,,,,,,,, †† †† ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, »»»»»»» † † »»»»»»» ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, †† †† ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, †† ,,,,,,,,,,
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:,,,,,,,,, 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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