$$$$$$$$
$$$$ $$$$
$$ $$
$ $
$ $
$ the glass factory. $
$ $
$ $
$$ $$
$$$$ $$$$
$$$$$$$$
£$;-~,,,,, several centuries after it had last ,,,,,~-;$£
$;-~,,,,,, belonged to us, we went on an outing to ,,,,,,~-;$
;-~,,,,,,, the glass factory that bore our family ,,,,,,,~-;
-~,,,,,,,, name. it had changed owners many times ,,,,,,,,~-
;-~,,,,,,, since our ancestors death, and then ,,,,,,,~-;
$;-~,,,,,, stood abandoned for a long while. ,,,,,,~-;$
£$;-~,,,,, finally, the natural end station for ,,,,,~-;$£
££$;-~,,,, the buildings that survive: a museum, ,,,,~-;$££
#££$;-~,,, and a gift shop. ,,,~-;$££#
##££$;-~,, ,,~-;$££##
###££$;-~, there's a long time since my family ,~-;$££###
##££$;-~,, made anything. by many, we would be ,,~-;$££##
#££$;-~,,, considered poor. ,,,~-;$££#
££$;-~,,,, ,,,,~-;$££
£$;-~,,,,, there are two main factory buildings, ,,,,,~-;$£
$;-~,,,,,, domed things of several floors, made in ,,,,,,~-;$
;-~,,,,,,, yellow brick. large but narrow windows, ,,,,,,,~-;
-~,,,,,,,, reminescent of some cathedral. ,,,,,,,,~-
;-~,,,,,,, custom-made glass, of course, large and ,,,,,,,~-;
$;-~,,,,,, leaded, and ashen. a bit too dark to be ,,,,,,~-;$
£$;-~,,,,, practical. on the eastern building, ,,,,,~-;$£
££$;-~,,,, some are shattered. ,,,,~-;$££
#££$;-~,,, ,,,~-;$££#
##££$;-~,, the other one is publicly open. there's ,,~-;$££##
###££$;-~, a museum, with wax figures of my great ,~-;$££###
##££$;-~,, great great grandfather, or something. ,,~-;$££##
#££$;-~,,, various tools (or replicas) laid out on ,,,~-;$££#
££$;-~,,,, tables, with explaining texts. a lot of ,,,,~-;$££
£$;-~,,,,, glass of varying thickness. ,,,,,~-;$£
$;-~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~-;$
;-~,,,,,,, $$ ,,,,,,,~-;
-~,,,,,,,, $$ $$ ,,,,,,,,~-
;-~,,,,,,, ------- $ $ ------- ,,,,,,,~-;
$;-~,,,,,, $$ $$ ,,,,,,~-;$
£$;-~,,,,, $$ ,,,,,~-;$£
££$;-~,,,, ,,,,~-;$££
#££$;-~,,, i quickly sneak out, and climb into the ,,,~-;$££#
##££$;-~,, other building. the contrast is ,,~-;$££##
###££$;-~, overwhelming. it must have stood ,~-;$££###
##££$;-~,, derelict for a long time, windows ,,~-;$££##
#££$;-~,,, broken, metallic trash and pools of ,,,~-;$££#
££$;-~,,,, dark glass all over the floor. no ,,,,~-;$££
£$;-~,,,,, electric lights, but i can see by the ,,,,,~-;$£
$;-~,,,,,, light that shines in wherever the dark ,,,,,,~-;$
;-~,,,,,,, windows are missing a pane. ,,,,,,,~-;
-~,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,~-
;-~,,,,,,, however, the greatest difference is the ,,,,,,,~-;
$;-~,,,,,, higher floors: this building has none. ,,,,,,~-;$
£$;-~,,,,, it is one massive hall, stretching away ,,,,,~-;$£
££$;-~,,,, infinitely above me. somewhere up there ,,,,~-;$££
#££$;-~,,, is some great iron latticework, from ,,,~-;$££#
##££$;-~,, where chains are suspended, and parts ,,~-;$££##
###££$;-~, of machinery has been falling down. ,~-;$££###
##££$;-~,, ,,~-;$££##
#££$;-~,,, there is, in the middle of the great ,,,~-;$££#
££$;-~,,,, hall, a thin spiral staircase that ,,,,~-;$££
£$;-~,,,,, leads up there. i sneak over there, and ,,,,,~-;$£
$;-~,,,,,, take a few reluctant steps. after just ,,,,,,~-;$
;-~,,,,,,, a revolution, i notice that for each ,,,,,,,~-;
-~,,,,,,,, step the building starts to glow, the ,,,,,,,,~-
;-~,,,,,,, bricks turning a dark red, and then ,,,,,,,~-;
$;-~,,,,,, orange, all the piled up debree being ,,,,,,~-;$
£$;-~,,,,, lit from behind. ,,,,,~-;$£
££$;-~,,,, ,,,,~-;$££
#££$;-~,,, i stop ready to run down and out, but ,,,~-;$££#
##££$;-~,, there's someone else on the staircase ,,~-;$££##
###££$;-~, with me now, pressed close. he's ,~-;$££###
##££$;-~,, looking like me, short hair and thin ,,~-;$££##
#££$;-~,,, arms, but with ears from some animal, ,,,~-;$££#
££$;-~,,,, and more disturbingly, completely made ,,,,~-;$££
£$;-~,,,,, of dark liquid glass. ,,,,,~-;$£
$;-~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~-;$
;-~,,,,,,, $$ ,,,,,,,~-;
-~,,,,,,,, $$ $$ ,,,,,,,,~-
;-~,,,,,,, ------- $ $ ------- ,,,,,,,~-;
$;-~,,,,,, $$ $$ ,,,,,,~-;$
£$;-~,,,,, $$ ,,,,,~-;$£
££$;-~,,,, ,,,,~-;$££
#££$;-~,,, 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. ,,,,~-;$££
£$;-~,,,,, ,,,,,~-;$£
$;-~,,,,,, $$ ,,,,,,~-;$
;-~,,,,,,, $$ $$ ,,,,,,,~-;
-~,,,,,,,, ------- $ $ ------- ,,,,,,,,~-
;-~,,,,,,, $$ $$ ,,,,,,,~-;
$;-~,,,,,, $$ ,,,,,,~-;$
£$;-~,,,,, ,,,,,~-;$£
££$;-~,,,, a large clunk shakes my entire body, ,,,,~-;$££
#££$;-~,,, and snaps me back into reality. i'm ,,,~-;$££#
##££$;-~,, back at the factory floor, but the ,,~-;$££##
###££$;-~, stairs are still moving slightly, ,~-;$££###
##££$;-~,, clicking in place, carrying me the last ,,~-;$££##
#££$;-~,,, few centimeters. i came from below, ,,,~-;$££#
££$;-~,,,, somehow. the chainmail is retracted, ,,,,~-;$££
£$;-~,,,,, and i slowly dismount the stairs. ,,,,,~-;$£
$;-~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~-;$
;-~,,,,,,, shaking and crying, i make my way over ,,,,,,,~-;
-~,,,,,,,, the factory floor, wading through dark ,,,,,,,,~-
;-~,,,,,,, glass marbles. a quick glance down, and ,,,,,,,~-;
$;-~,,,,,, i see there's something faint inside ,,,,,,~-;$
£$;-~,,,,, them. embryos? are these eggs? ,,,,,~-;$£
££$;-~,,,, ,,,,~-;$££
#££$;-~,,, i shudder, and climb back out. ,,,~-;$££#
$$
$$ $$
$ $
$$ $$
$$