********
**** ****
** **
* *
* *
* 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. %*;~-,,,,,
**
** **
* *
** **
**