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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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