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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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