^^^^^^^^
^^^^ ^^^^
^^ ^^
^ ^
^ ^
^ the glass factory. ^
^ ^
^ ^
^^ ^^
^^^^ ^^^^
^^^^^^^^
£%^^»,.... 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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