^^^^^^^^
^^^^ ^^^^
^^ ^^
^ ^
^ ^
^ the glass factory. ^
^ ^
^ ^
^^ ^^
^^^^ ^^^^
^^^^^^^^
##@¤%^†«.. 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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