§§§§§§§§
§§§§ §§§§
§§ §§
§ §
§ §
§ 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. ##¤*§=«,,,
§§
§§ §§
§ §
§§ §§
§§