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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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