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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. «-........
.........- -.........
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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. ###§£*†«-.
..-«†*£§## ##§£*†«-..
...-«†*£§# 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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