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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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