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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. ...~/§§¤¶@
¶¤§§/~.... ....~/§§¤¶
¤§§/~..... §§ .....~/§§¤
§§/~...... §§ §§ ......~/§§
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/~........ §§ §§ ........~/
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.......... ..........
~......... 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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