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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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