========
==== ====
== ==
= =
= =
= 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. ¶@£=*~^,,,
==
== ==
= =
== ==
==