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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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