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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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