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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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