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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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