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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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