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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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