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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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