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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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