$$$$$$$$                           
                       $$$$        $$$$                       
                     $$                $$                     
                     $                  $                     
                    $                    $                    
                    $ the glass factory. $                    
                    $                    $                    
                     $                  $                     
                     $$                $$                     
                       $$$$        $$$$                       
                           $$$$$$$$                           
                                                              
,,-~*$$@## several  centuries  after  it  had  last ##@$$*~-,,
,-~*$$@### belonged to us, we went  on an outing to ###@$$*~-,
,,-~*$$@## the  glass factory that bore our  family ##@$$*~-,,
,,,-~*$$@# name.  it had changed  owners many times #@$$*~-,,,
,,,,-~*$$@ since  our  ancestors  death,  and  then @$$*~-,,,,
,,,,,-~*$$ stood  abandoned  for   a   long  while. $$*~-,,,,,
,,,,,,-~*$ 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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