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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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