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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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