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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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