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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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