$$$$$$$$
$$$$ $$$$
$$ $$
$ $
$ $
$ The Glass factory. $
$ $
$ $
$$ $$
$$$$ $$$$
$$$$$$$$
...,~=$%§# Several Centuries After It Had Last #§%$=~,...
..,~=$%§## Belonged To Us, We Went On An Outing To ##§%$=~,..
.,~=$%§### The Glass Factory That Bore Our Family ###§%$=~,.
..,~=$%§## Name. It Had Changed Owners Many Times ##§%$=~,..
...,~=$%§# Since Our Ancestors Death, And Then #§%$=~,...
....,~=$%§ Stood Abandoned For A Long While. §%$=~,....
.....,~=$% Finally, The Natural End Station For %$=~,.....
......,~=$ The Buildings That Survive: A Museum, $=~,......
.......,~= And A Gift Shop. =~,.......
......,~=$ $=~,......
.....,~=$% There'S A Long Time Since My Family %$=~,.....
....,~=$%§ Made Anything. By Many, We Would Be §%$=~,....
...,~=$%§# Considered Poor. #§%$=~,...
..,~=$%§## ##§%$=~,..
.,~=$%§### There Are Two Main Factory Buildings, ###§%$=~,.
..,~=$%§## Domed Things Of Several Floors, Made In ##§%$=~,..
...,~=$%§# Yellow Brick. Large But Narrow Windows, #§%$=~,...
....,~=$%§ Reminescent Of Some Cathedral. §%$=~,....
.....,~=$% Custom-Made Glass, Of Course, Large And %$=~,.....
......,~=$ LeadEd, And Ashen. A Bit Too Dark To Be $=~,......
.......,~= Practical. On The Eastern Building, =~,.......
......,~=$ Some Are Shattered. $=~,......
.....,~=$% %$=~,.....
....,~=$%§ The Other One Is Publicly Open. There'S §%$=~,....
...,~=$%§# A Museum, With Wax Figures Of My Great #§%$=~,...
..,~=$%§## Great Great Grandfather, Or Something. ##§%$=~,..
.,~=$%§### Various Tools (Or Replicas) Laid Out On ###§%$=~,.
..,~=$%§## Tables, With Explaining Texts. A Lot Of ##§%$=~,..
...,~=$%§# Glass Of Varying Thickness. #§%$=~,...
....,~=$%§ §%$=~,....
.....,~=$% $$ %$=~,.....
......,~=$ $$ $$ $=~,......
.......,~= ~~~~~~~ $ $ ~~~~~~~ =~,.......
......,~=$ $$ $$ $=~,......
.....,~=$% $$ %$=~,.....
....,~=$%§ §%$=~,....
...,~=$%§# I Quickly Sneak Out, And Climb Into The #§%$=~,...
..,~=$%§## Other Building. The Contrast Is ##§%$=~,..
.,~=$%§### Overwhelming. It Must Have Stood ###§%$=~,.
..,~=$%§## Derelict For A Long Time, Windows ##§%$=~,..
...,~=$%§# Broken, Metallic Trash And Pools Of #§%$=~,...
....,~=$%§ Dark Glass All Over The Floor. No §%$=~,....
.....,~=$% Electric Lights, But I Can See By The %$=~,.....
......,~=$ Light That Shines In Wherever The Dark $=~,......
.......,~= Windows Are Missing A Pane. =~,.......
......,~=$ $=~,......
.....,~=$% However, The Greatest Difference Is The %$=~,.....
....,~=$%§ Higher Floors: This Building Has None. §%$=~,....
...,~=$%§# It Is One Massive Hall, Stretching Away #§%$=~,...
..,~=$%§## Infinitely Above Me. Somewhere Up There ##§%$=~,..
.,~=$%§### Is Some Great Iron Latticework, From ###§%$=~,.
..,~=$%§## Where Chains Are Suspended, And Parts ##§%$=~,..
...,~=$%§# Of Machinery Has Been Falling Down. #§%$=~,...
....,~=$%§ §%$=~,....
.....,~=$% There Is, In The Middle Of The Great %$=~,.....
......,~=$ Hall, A Thin Spiral Staircase That $=~,......
.......,~= Leads Up There. I Sneak Over There, And =~,.......
......,~=$ Take A Few Reluctant Steps. After Just $=~,......
.....,~=$% A Revolution, I Notice That For Each %$=~,.....
....,~=$%§ Step The Building Starts To Glow, The §%$=~,....
...,~=$%§# Bricks Turning A Dark Red, And Then #§%$=~,...
..,~=$%§## Orange, All The Piled Up Debree Being ##§%$=~,..
.,~=$%§### Lit From Behind. ###§%$=~,.
..,~=$%§## ##§%$=~,..
...,~=$%§# I Stop Ready To Run Down And Out, But #§%$=~,...
....,~=$%§ There'S Someone Else On The Staircase §%$=~,....
.....,~=$% With Me Now, Pressed Close. He'S %$=~,.....
......,~=$ Looking Like Me, Short Hair And Thin $=~,......
.......,~= Arms, But With Ears From Some Animal, =~,.......
......,~=$ And More Disturbingly, Completely Made $=~,......
.....,~=$% Of Dark Liquid glass. %$=~,.....
....,~=$%§ §%$=~,....
...,~=$%§# $$ #§%$=~,...
..,~=$%§## $$ $$ ##§%$=~,..
.,~=$%§### ~~~~~~~ $ $ ~~~~~~~ ###§%$=~,.
..,~=$%§## $$ $$ ##§%$=~,..
...,~=$%§# $$ #§%$=~,...
....,~=$%§ §%$=~,....
.....,~=$% 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. §%$=~,....
.....,~=$% %$=~,.....
......,~=$ $$ $=~,......
.......,~= $$ $$ =~,.......
......,~=$ ~~~~~~~ $ $ ~~~~~~~ $=~,......
.....,~=$% $$ $$ %$=~,.....
....,~=$%§ $$ §%$=~,....
...,~=$%§# #§%$=~,...
..,~=$%§## A Large Clunk Shakes My Entire Body, ##§%$=~,..
.,~=$%§### And Snaps Me Back Into Reality. I'M ###§%$=~,.
..,~=$%§## Back At The Factory Floor, But The ##§%$=~,..
...,~=$%§# Stairs Are Still Moving Slightly, #§%$=~,...
....,~=$%§ Clicking In Place, Carrying Me The Last §%$=~,....
.....,~=$% Few Centimeters. I Came From Below, %$=~,.....
......,~=$ Somehow. The Chainmail Is Retracted, $=~,......
.......,~= And I Slowly Dismount The Stairs. =~,.......
......,~=$ $=~,......
.....,~=$% Shaking And Crying, I Make My Way Over %$=~,.....
....,~=$%§ The Factory Floor, Wading Through Dark §%$=~,....
...,~=$%§# Glass Marbles. A Quick Glance Down, And #§%$=~,...
..,~=$%§## I See There'S Something Faint Inside ##§%$=~,..
.,~=$%§### Them. Embryos? Are These Eggs? ###§%$=~,.
..,~=$%§## ##§%$=~,..
...,~=$%§# I Shudder, And Climb Back Out. #§%$=~,...
$$
$$ $$
$ $
$$ $$
$$