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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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