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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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