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^ the glass factory. ^
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^^^^ ^^^^
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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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