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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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