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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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