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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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