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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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