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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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