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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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