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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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