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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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