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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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