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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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