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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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