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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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