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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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