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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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