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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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