%%%%%%%%
%%%% %%%%
%% %%
% %
% %
% 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. ¨¨¨,-†%###
%%
%% %%
% %
%% %%
%%