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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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