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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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