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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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