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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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