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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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