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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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