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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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