^^^^^^^^
^^^^ ^^^^
^^ ^^
^ ^
^ ^
^ 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. ¨^~†^%@###
^^
^^ ^^
^ ^
^^ ^^
^^