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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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