^^^^^^^^
^^^^ ^^^^
^^ ^^
^ ^
^ ^
^ 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. ......:=\^
^^
^^ ^^
^ ^
^^ ^^
^^