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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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