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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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