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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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