††††††††
†††† ††††
†† ††
† †
† †
† 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. ,,~/†%££##
††
†† ††
† †
†† ††
††