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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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