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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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