§§§§§§§§
§§§§ §§§§
§§ §§
§ §
§ §
§ 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. ......^-=§
§§
§§ §§
§ §
§§ §§
§§