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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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