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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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