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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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