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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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