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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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