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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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