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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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