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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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