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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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