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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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