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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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