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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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