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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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