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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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