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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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