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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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