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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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