********
**** ****
** **
* *
* *
* 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. £§*;»,¨¨¨¨
**
** **
* *
** **
**