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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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