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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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