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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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