%%%%%%%%
%%%% %%%%
%% %%
% %
% %
% 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 ,,,,,,,-:%
$%:-,,,,,, the factory floor, wading through dark ,,,,,,-:%$
£$%:-,,,,, glass marbles. a quick glance down, and ,,,,,-:%$£
££$%:-,,,, i see there's something faint inside ,,,,-:%$££
#££$%:-,,, them. embryos? are these eggs? ,,,-:%$££#
##££$%:-,, ,,-:%$££##
###££$%:-, i shudder, and climb back out. ,-:%$££###
%%
%% %%
% %
%% %%
%%