"Factory" (2020)

𝖋𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖞;⁣

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Gargantuan machines churned raw materials into a thick, caramel-coloured paste. Each separate process was controlled by machines now, leaving the vast factory building almost entirely devoid of human life. Beeps and whirs replaced the idle chatter of bored workers, and metal skeletons substituted delicate human hands. Less mistakes, less money, less injuries.⁣

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With the majority of the world turned to veganism, the tan brown paste was all the rage. Of course, by the end of it's conveyer belt journey, it would be formed, coloured, packaged into an appealing modern bite. Samael Vegan Snacks: No animal products, no dairy or eggs, not so much as a drop of milk went into the storefront favourite. A convenient, guilt-free meal for a millennial generation 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝 to saving the Earth.⁣

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With an innovative online marketing campaign and a harem of musicians and actors promoting the brand, Samael Vegan Snacks had hastily dominated the food market. Supermarkets committed acres of floorspace to pop up stands, the Internet was littered with catchy, unskippable adverts, and within a matter of months, SVS was selling through batches big enough to keep the factory running almost 24/7.⁣

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But at night, in the few, precious twilight hours, when the diligent, whirring machines slowed to an idle buzz, only one sound finally rose over the mechanical manufacturer. As the chugging of the overnight oven sprung into life, small palms pressed against the glass oven door. Thirty-five tiny, abducted faces peered out across the slumbering factory, and with a blazing ignition, the muffled screams of Samael's 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩 𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙩 echoed hopelessly through the empty hall.⁣

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Originally written and shared as part of Verbuary 2020: https://tinyurl.com/28u9sdhd