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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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