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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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