$$$$$$$$
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$ the glass factory. $
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$$$$ $$$$
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##$$:-^,,, 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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