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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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