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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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