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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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