††††††††
†††† ††††
†† ††
† †
† †
† 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 ¨¨¨¨¨¨,~\†
$†\~,¨¨¨¨¨ the factory floor, wading through dark ¨¨¨¨¨,~\†$
#$†\~,¨¨¨¨ glass marbles. a quick glance down, and ¨¨¨¨,~\†$#
##$†\~,¨¨¨ i see there's something faint inside ¨¨¨,~\†$##
###$†\~,¨¨ them. embryos? are these eggs? ¨¨,~\†$###
####$†\~,¨ ¨,~\†$####
###$†\~,¨¨ i shudder, and climb back out. ¨¨,~\†$###
††
†† ††
† †
†† ††
††