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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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