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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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