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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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