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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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