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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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