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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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