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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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