$$$$$$$$
$$$$ $$$$
$$ $$
$ $
$ $
$ THE GLASS FACTORY. $
$ $
$ $
$$ $$
$$$$ $$$$
$$$$$$$$
$^~....... SEVERAL CENTURIES AFTER IT HAD LAST .......~^$
%$^~...... BELONGED TO US, WE WENT ON AN OUTING TO ......~^$%
£%$^~..... THE GLASS FACTORY THAT BORE OUR FAMILY .....~^$%£
@£%$^~.... NAME. IT HAD CHANGED OWNERS MANY TIMES ....~^$%£@
@@£%$^~... SINCE OUR ANCESTORS DEATH, AND THEN ...~^$%£@@
#@@£%$^~.. STOOD ABANDONED FOR A LONG WHILE. ..~^$%£@@#
@@£%$^~... FINALLY, THE NATURAL END STATION FOR ...~^$%£@@
@£%$^~.... THE BUILDINGS THAT SURVIVE: A MUSEUM, ....~^$%£@
£%$^~..... AND A GIFT SHOP. .....~^$%£
%$^~...... ......~^$%
$^~....... THERE'S A LONG TIME SINCE MY FAMILY .......~^$
^~........ MADE ANYTHING. BY MANY, WE WOULD BE ........~^
$^~....... CONSIDERED POOR. .......~^$
%$^~...... ......~^$%
£%$^~..... THERE ARE TWO MAIN FACTORY BUILDINGS, .....~^$%£
@£%$^~.... DOMED THINGS OF SEVERAL FLOORS, MADE IN ....~^$%£@
@@£%$^~... YELLOW BRICK. LARGE BUT NARROW WINDOWS, ...~^$%£@@
#@@£%$^~.. REMINESCENT OF SOME CATHEDRAL. ..~^$%£@@#
@@£%$^~... CUSTOM-MADE GLASS, OF COURSE, LARGE AND ...~^$%£@@
@£%$^~.... LEADED, AND ASHEN. A BIT TOO DARK TO BE ....~^$%£@
£%$^~..... PRACTICAL. ON THE EASTERN BUILDING, .....~^$%£
%$^~...... SOME ARE SHATTERED. ......~^$%
$^~....... .......~^$
^~........ THE OTHER ONE IS PUBLICLY OPEN. THERE'S ........~^
$^~....... A MUSEUM, WITH WAX FIGURES OF MY GREAT .......~^$
%$^~...... GREAT GREAT GRANDFATHER, OR SOMETHING. ......~^$%
£%$^~..... VARIOUS TOOLS (OR REPLICAS) LAID OUT ON .....~^$%£
@£%$^~.... TABLES, WITH EXPLAINING TEXTS. A LOT OF ....~^$%£@
@@£%$^~... GLASS OF VARYING THICKNESS. ...~^$%£@@
#@@£%$^~.. ..~^$%£@@#
@@£%$^~... $$ ...~^$%£@@
@£%$^~.... $$ $$ ....~^$%£@
£%$^~..... ~~~~~~~ $ $ ~~~~~~~ .....~^$%£
%$^~...... $$ $$ ......~^$%
$^~....... $$ .......~^$
^~........ ........~^
$^~....... I QUICKLY SNEAK OUT, AND CLIMB INTO THE .......~^$
%$^~...... OTHER BUILDING. THE CONTRAST IS ......~^$%
£%$^~..... OVERWHELMING. IT MUST HAVE STOOD .....~^$%£
@£%$^~.... DERELICT FOR A LONG TIME, WINDOWS ....~^$%£@
@@£%$^~... BROKEN, METALLIC TRASH AND POOLS OF ...~^$%£@@
#@@£%$^~.. DARK GLASS ALL OVER THE FLOOR. NO ..~^$%£@@#
@@£%$^~... ELECTRIC LIGHTS, BUT I CAN SEE BY THE ...~^$%£@@
@£%$^~.... LIGHT THAT SHINES IN WHEREVER THE DARK ....~^$%£@
£%$^~..... WINDOWS ARE MISSING A PANE. .....~^$%£
%$^~...... ......~^$%
$^~....... HOWEVER, THE GREATEST DIFFERENCE IS THE .......~^$
^~........ HIGHER FLOORS: THIS BUILDING HAS NONE. ........~^
$^~....... IT IS ONE MASSIVE HALL, STRETCHING AWAY .......~^$
%$^~...... INFINITELY ABOVE ME. SOMEWHERE UP THERE ......~^$%
£%$^~..... IS SOME GREAT IRON LATTICEWORK, FROM .....~^$%£
@£%$^~.... WHERE CHAINS ARE SUSPENDED, AND PARTS ....~^$%£@
@@£%$^~... OF MACHINERY HAS BEEN FALLING DOWN. ...~^$%£@@
#@@£%$^~.. ..~^$%£@@#
@@£%$^~... THERE IS, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GREAT ...~^$%£@@
@£%$^~.... HALL, A THIN SPIRAL STAIRCASE THAT ....~^$%£@
£%$^~..... LEADS UP THERE. I SNEAK OVER THERE, AND .....~^$%£
%$^~...... TAKE A FEW RELUCTANT STEPS. AFTER JUST ......~^$%
$^~....... A REVOLUTION, I NOTICE THAT FOR EACH .......~^$
^~........ STEP THE BUILDING STARTS TO GLOW, THE ........~^
$^~....... BRICKS TURNING A DARK RED, AND THEN .......~^$
%$^~...... ORANGE, ALL THE PILED UP DEBREE BEING ......~^$%
£%$^~..... LIT FROM BEHIND. .....~^$%£
@£%$^~.... ....~^$%£@
@@£%$^~... I STOP READY TO RUN DOWN AND OUT, BUT ...~^$%£@@
#@@£%$^~.. THERE'S SOMEONE ELSE ON THE STAIRCASE ..~^$%£@@#
@@£%$^~... WITH ME NOW, PRESSED CLOSE. HE'S ...~^$%£@@
@£%$^~.... LOOKING LIKE ME, SHORT HAIR AND THIN ....~^$%£@
£%$^~..... ARMS, BUT WITH EARS FROM SOME ANIMAL, .....~^$%£
%$^~...... AND MORE DISTURBINGLY, COMPLETELY MADE ......~^$%
$^~....... OF DARK LIQUID GLASS. .......~^$
^~........ ........~^
$^~....... $$ .......~^$
%$^~...... $$ $$ ......~^$%
£%$^~..... ~~~~~~~ $ $ ~~~~~~~ .....~^$%£
@£%$^~.... $$ $$ ....~^$%£@
@@£%$^~... $$ ...~^$%£@@
#@@£%$^~.. ..~^$%£@@#
@@£%$^~... 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. ..~^$%£@@#
@@£%$^~... ...~^$%£@@
@£%$^~.... $$ ....~^$%£@
£%$^~..... $$ $$ .....~^$%£
%$^~...... ~~~~~~~ $ $ ~~~~~~~ ......~^$%
$^~....... $$ $$ .......~^$
^~........ $$ ........~^
$^~....... .......~^$
%$^~...... A LARGE CLUNK SHAKES MY ENTIRE BODY, ......~^$%
£%$^~..... AND SNAPS ME BACK INTO REALITY. I'M .....~^$%£
@£%$^~.... BACK AT THE FACTORY FLOOR, BUT THE ....~^$%£@
@@£%$^~... STAIRS ARE STILL MOVING SLIGHTLY, ...~^$%£@@
#@@£%$^~.. CLICKING IN PLACE, CARRYING ME THE LAST ..~^$%£@@#
@@£%$^~... FEW CENTIMETERS. I CAME FROM BELOW, ...~^$%£@@
@£%$^~.... SOMEHOW. THE CHAINMAIL IS RETRACTED, ....~^$%£@
£%$^~..... AND I SLOWLY DISMOUNT THE STAIRS. .....~^$%£
%$^~...... ......~^$%
$^~....... SHAKING AND CRYING, I MAKE MY WAY OVER .......~^$
^~........ THE FACTORY FLOOR, WADING THROUGH DARK ........~^
$^~....... GLASS MARBLES. A QUICK GLANCE DOWN, AND .......~^$
%$^~...... I SEE THERE'S SOMETHING FAINT INSIDE ......~^$%
£%$^~..... THEM. EMBRYOS? ARE THESE EGGS? .....~^$%£
@£%$^~.... ....~^$%£@
@@£%$^~... I SHUDDER, AND CLIMB BACK OUT. ...~^$%£@@
$$
$$ $$
$ $
$$ $$
$$