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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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