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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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