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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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