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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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