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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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