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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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