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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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