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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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