††††††††
†††† ††††
†† ††
† †
† †
† 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. &†:~:.....
††
†† ††
† †
†† ††
††