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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. ##&£§==~..
...~==§£&# #&£§==~...
....~==§£& §§ &£§==~....
.....~==§£ §§ §§ £§==~.....
......~==§ ======= § § ======= §==~......
.......~== §§ §§ ==~.......
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.....~==§£ £§==~.....
....~==§£& 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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