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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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