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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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