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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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