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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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