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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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