$$$$$$$$
$$$$ $$$$
$$ $$
$ $
$ $
$ the glass factory. $
$ $
$ $
$$ $$
$$$$ $$$$
$$$$$$$$
,:=^$¤§### several centuries after it had last ###§¤$^=:,
,,:=^$¤§## belonged to us, we went on an outing to ##§¤$^=:,,
,,,:=^$¤§# the glass factory that bore our family #§¤$^=:,,,
,,,,:=^$¤§ name. it had changed owners many times §¤$^=:,,,,
,,,,,:=^$¤ since our ancestors death, and then ¤$^=:,,,,,
,,,,,,:=^$ stood abandoned for a long while. $^=:,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:=^ finally, the natural end station for ^=:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,:= the buildings that survive: a museum, =:,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,: and a gift shop. :,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, there's a long time since my family ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, made anything. by many, we would be ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, considered poor. ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,: there are two main factory buildings, :,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,:= domed things of several floors, made in =:,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:=^ yellow brick. large but narrow windows, ^=:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,:=^$ reminescent of some cathedral. $^=:,,,,,,
,,,,,:=^$¤ custom-made glass, of course, large and ¤$^=:,,,,,
,,,,:=^$¤§ leaded, and ashen. a bit too dark to be §¤$^=:,,,,
,,,:=^$¤§# practical. on the eastern building, #§¤$^=:,,,
,,:=^$¤§## some are shattered. ##§¤$^=:,,
,:=^$¤§### ###§¤$^=:,
,,:=^$¤§## the other one is publicly open. there's ##§¤$^=:,,
,,,:=^$¤§# a museum, with wax figures of my great #§¤$^=:,,,
,,,,:=^$¤§ great great grandfather, or something. §¤$^=:,,,,
,,,,,:=^$¤ various tools (or replicas) laid out on ¤$^=:,,,,,
,,,,,,:=^$ tables, with explaining texts. a lot of $^=:,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:=^ glass of varying thickness. ^=:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,:= =:,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,: $$ :,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, $$ $$ ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ======= $ $ ======= ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, $$ $$ ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, $$ ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,: i quickly sneak out, and climb into the :,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,:= other building. the contrast is =:,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:=^ overwhelming. it must have stood ^=:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,:=^$ derelict for a long time, windows $^=:,,,,,,
,,,,,:=^$¤ broken, metallic trash and pools of ¤$^=:,,,,,
,,,,:=^$¤§ dark glass all over the floor. no §¤$^=:,,,,
,,,:=^$¤§# electric lights, but i can see by the #§¤$^=:,,,
,,:=^$¤§## light that shines in wherever the dark ##§¤$^=:,,
,:=^$¤§### windows are missing a pane. ###§¤$^=:,
,,:=^$¤§## ##§¤$^=:,,
,,,:=^$¤§# however, the greatest difference is the #§¤$^=:,,,
,,,,:=^$¤§ higher floors: this building has none. §¤$^=:,,,,
,,,,,:=^$¤ it is one massive hall, stretching away ¤$^=:,,,,,
,,,,,,:=^$ infinitely above me. somewhere up there $^=:,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:=^ is some great iron latticework, from ^=:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,:= where chains are suspended, and parts =:,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,: of machinery has been falling down. :,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, there is, in the middle of the great ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, hall, a thin spiral staircase that ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, leads up there. i sneak over there, and ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, take a few reluctant steps. after just ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,: a revolution, i notice that for each :,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,:= step the building starts to glow, the =:,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:=^ bricks turning a dark red, and then ^=:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,:=^$ orange, all the piled up debree being $^=:,,,,,,
,,,,,:=^$¤ lit from behind. ¤$^=:,,,,,
,,,,:=^$¤§ §¤$^=:,,,,
,,,:=^$¤§# i stop ready to run down and out, but #§¤$^=:,,,
,,:=^$¤§## there's someone else on the staircase ##§¤$^=:,,
,:=^$¤§### with me now, pressed close. he's ###§¤$^=:,
,,:=^$¤§## looking like me, short hair and thin ##§¤$^=:,,
,,,:=^$¤§# arms, but with ears from some animal, #§¤$^=:,,,
,,,,:=^$¤§ and more disturbingly, completely made §¤$^=:,,,,
,,,,,:=^$¤ of dark liquid glass. ¤$^=:,,,,,
,,,,,,:=^$ $^=:,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:=^ $$ ^=:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,:= $$ $$ =:,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,: ======= $ $ ======= :,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, $$ $$ ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, $$ ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, 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. =:,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:=^ ^=:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,:=^$ $$ $^=:,,,,,,
,,,,,:=^$¤ $$ $$ ¤$^=:,,,,,
,,,,:=^$¤§ ======= $ $ ======= §¤$^=:,,,,
,,,:=^$¤§# $$ $$ #§¤$^=:,,,
,,:=^$¤§## $$ ##§¤$^=:,,
,:=^$¤§### ###§¤$^=:,
,,:=^$¤§## a large clunk shakes my entire body, ##§¤$^=:,,
,,,:=^$¤§# and snaps me back into reality. i'm #§¤$^=:,,,
,,,,:=^$¤§ back at the factory floor, but the §¤$^=:,,,,
,,,,,:=^$¤ stairs are still moving slightly, ¤$^=:,,,,,
,,,,,,:=^$ clicking in place, carrying me the last $^=:,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:=^ few centimeters. i came from below, ^=:,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,:= somehow. the chainmail is retracted, =:,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,: and i slowly dismount the stairs. :,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, shaking and crying, i make my way over ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, the factory floor, wading through dark ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, glass marbles. a quick glance down, and ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, i see there's something faint inside ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,: them. embryos? are these eggs? :,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,:= =:,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:=^ i shudder, and climb back out. ^=:,,,,,,,
$$
$$ $$
$ $
$$ $$
$$