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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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