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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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