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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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