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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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