========
==== ====
== ==
= =
= =
= THE GLASS FACTORY. =
= =
= =
== ==
==== ====
========
...,~*=£¤# 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. #¤£=*~,...
==
== ==
= =
== ==
==