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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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