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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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