^^^^^^^^
^^^^ ^^^^
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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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