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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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