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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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