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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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