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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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#¤$%\».,,, %% ,,,.»\%$¤#
¤$%\».,,,, %% %% ,,,,.»\%$¤
$%\».,,,,, »»»»»»» % % »»»»»»» ,,,,,.»\%$
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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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