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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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