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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. ,,,,,,.-:*
:-.,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,.-:
-.,,,,,,,, ** ,,,,,,,,.-
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*:-.,,,,,, 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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