^^^^^^^^
^^^^ ^^^^
^^ ^^
^ ^
^ ^
^ 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. ,,,~\^*¤##
^^
^^ ^^
^ ^
^^ ^^
^^