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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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