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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. /~^,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,^~ ~^,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,^ §§ ^,,,,,,,,,
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,,,,,,,,,^ 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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