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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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