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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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