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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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