%%%%%%%%
%%%% %%%%
%% %%
% %
% %
% 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, ,,,,,,,=*%
$%*=,,,,,, And I Slowly Dismount The Stairs. ,,,,,,=*%$
¤$%*=,,,,, ,,,,,=*%$¤
#¤$%*=,,,, Shaking And Crying, I Make My Way Over ,,,,=*%$¤#
##¤$%*=,,, The Factory Floor, Wading Through Dark ,,,=*%$¤##
###¤$%*=,, Glass Marbles. A Quick Glance Down, And ,,=*%$¤###
##¤$%*=,,, I See There'S Something Faint Inside ,,,=*%$¤##
#¤$%*=,,,, Them. Embryos? Are These Eggs? ,,,,=*%$¤#
¤$%*=,,,,, ,,,,,=*%$¤
$%*=,,,,,, I Shudder, And Climb Back Out. ,,,,,,=*%$
%%
%% %%
% %
%% %%
%%