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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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