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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. ,,,,,,,,,,
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,,,,,,,,,, THERE'S A LONG TIME SINCE MY FAMILY ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, MADE ANYTHING. BY MANY, WE WOULD BE ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, CONSIDERED POOR. ,,,,,,,,,,
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~~,,,,,,,, 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. ,,,,,,,,~~
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~~,,,,,,,, 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. ,,,,,,,,,,
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,,,,,,,,,, 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. ,,,,,,~~*§
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,,,,,,,,,, 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. ,,,,,,,,,,
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,,,,,,,,,, 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. ,,,,,,,,,~
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,,,,,,,,,, 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. ,,,,,,,~~*
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%§*~~,,,,, §§ ,,,,,~~*§%
£%§*~~,,,, §§ §§ ,,,,~~*§%£
@£%§*~~,,, ~~~~~~~ § § ~~~~~~~ ,,,~~*§%£@
@@£%§*~~,, §§ §§ ,,~~*§%£@@
#@@£%§*~~, §§ ,~~*§%£@@#
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@£%§*~~,,, 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. ,,,,,,,,,,
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,,,,,,,,,, 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? ,,,,,,,,~~
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§*~~,,,,,, I SHUDDER, AND CLIMB BACK OUT. ,,,,,,~~*§
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