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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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