%%%%%%%%
%%%% %%%%
%% %%
% %
% %
% 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. ,,:=†%%£##
%%
%% %%
% %
%% %%
%%