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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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