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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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