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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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