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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. ........~†
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†~........ †† ........~†
*†~....... .......~†*
&*†~...... 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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