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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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