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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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