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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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