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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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