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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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