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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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