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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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