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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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