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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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