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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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