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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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