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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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