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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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