$$$$$$$$
$$$$ $$$$
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$ The Glass factory. $
$ $
$ $
$$ $$
$$$$ $$$$
$$$$$$$$
,,~/$$§### 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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