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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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