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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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