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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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