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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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