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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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