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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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