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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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