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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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