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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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