========
==== ====
== ==
= =
= =
= The Glass factory. =
= =
= =
== ==
==== ====
========
###§$=^-.¨ Several Centuries After It Had Last ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Belonged To Us, We Went On An Outing To ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ The Glass Factory That Bore Our Family ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Name. It Had Changed Owners Many Times ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Since Our Ancestors Death, And Then ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Stood Abandoned For A Long While. ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Finally, The Natural End Station For ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ The Buildings That Survive: A Museum, ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ And A Gift Shop. ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ There'S A Long Time Since My Family ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Made Anything. By Many, We Would Be ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Considered Poor. ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ There Are Two Main Factory Buildings, ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Domed Things Of Several Floors, Made In ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Yellow Brick. Large But Narrow Windows, ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Reminescent Of Some Cathedral. ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Custom-Made Glass, Of Course, Large And ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ LeadEd, And Ashen. A Bit Too Dark To Be ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Practical. On The Eastern Building, ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Some Are Shattered. ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ The Other One Is Publicly Open. There'S ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ A Museum, With Wax Figures Of My Great ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Great Great Grandfather, Or Something. ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Various Tools (Or Replicas) Laid Out On ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Tables, With Explaining Texts. A Lot Of ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Glass Of Varying Thickness. ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ == ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ == == ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ ------- = = ------- ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ == == ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ == ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ I Quickly Sneak Out, And Climb Into The ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Other Building. The Contrast Is ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Overwhelming. It Must Have Stood ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Derelict For A Long Time, Windows ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Broken, Metallic Trash And Pools Of ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Dark Glass All Over The Floor. No ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Electric Lights, But I Can See By The ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Light That Shines In Wherever The Dark ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Windows Are Missing A Pane. ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ However, The Greatest Difference Is The ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Higher Floors: This Building Has None. ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ It Is One Massive Hall, Stretching Away ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Infinitely Above Me. Somewhere Up There ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Is Some Great Iron Latticework, From ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Where Chains Are Suspended, And Parts ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Of Machinery Has Been Falling Down. ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ There Is, In The Middle Of The Great ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Hall, A Thin Spiral Staircase That ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Leads Up There. I Sneak Over There, And ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Take A Few Reluctant Steps. After Just ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ A Revolution, I Notice That For Each ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Step The Building Starts To Glow, The ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Bricks Turning A Dark Red, And Then ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Orange, All The Piled Up Debree Being ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Lit From Behind. ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ I Stop Ready To Run Down And Out, But ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ There'S Someone Else On The Staircase ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ With Me Now, Pressed Close. He'S ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Looking Like Me, Short Hair And Thin ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Arms, But With Ears From Some Animal, ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ And More Disturbingly, Completely Made ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Of Dark Liquid glass. ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ == ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ == == ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ ------- = = ------- ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ == == ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ == ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ My Fear Holds Me In Place While He ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Starts Operating Levers And Dials Set ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ In The Center Of The Staircase. Slowly, ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ It Starts Spinning, Circling Upwards. ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ It'S An Elevator! I Start To Run ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Downwards, But Now The Liquid Boy ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Creature Grabs Hold Of Me. I Try To ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Shake Him Off, But He'S Too Strong, And ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Pulls Me Back Up Beside Him. ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ This Time, I Turn Angry Instead. What ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ The Hell? Who Is This Guy, Acting Like ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ This? I Reach Out My Free Arm And Slam ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ A Random Lever. Some Metal Bar Is ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Suddenly Released Between Us, Hitting ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Him On The Arm, Forcing My Release. I ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Shove Him Off Of Me, And He Falls Into ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ The Levers, Messing Them Up. ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Immediately, A Thin Rusty Chainmail ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Curtain Is Dropped Around Me. But The ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Elevator Also Speeds Up Significantly. ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ The Walls Are Flaring Now, Yellow, ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ White, Almost Blue. I Close My Eyes And ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Curl Into A Ball. But Then, The Glass ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Boy Screams, A Piercing Sound That ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Forces My Eyes Back Open. I Watch As He ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Becomes Too Liquid, His Body Pooling ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Down In His Now Massive Tail, And The ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Tip Of It Suddenly Breaks Of In A Glass ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Drop That Falls Toward The Factory ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Floor. ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ He'S Crawling On The Stairs, Unable To ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Keep His Body Upright. Can'T Reach The ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Levers, Claws At My Chainmail Cage, ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ While His Body Is Turning Into Dark ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Pearls. Finally, He'S Lost Too Much Of ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Himself And The Scream Is Cut Short. ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ The Last Of Him Rains Down. ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ I Still Can'T Reach The Levers From ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Within My Cage. Looking Up, I Try To ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Make Out The Ceiling, But It'S All A ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Whirling Sea Of Colours. Below Me Glows ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ The Hellfire Of The Factory Walls, But ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Very Faint. I Sit Down, Curl Back Up, ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Become Still. ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ == ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ == == ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ ------- = = ------- ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ == == ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ == ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ A Large Clunk Shakes My Entire Body, ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ And Snaps Me Back Into Reality. I'M ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Back At The Factory Floor, But The ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Stairs Are Still Moving Slightly, ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Clicking In Place, Carrying Me The Last ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Few Centimeters. I Came From Below, ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ Somehow. The Chainmail Is Retracted, ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ And I Slowly Dismount The Stairs. ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Shaking And Crying, I Make My Way Over ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ The Factory Floor, Wading Through Dark ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Glass Marbles. A Quick Glance Down, And ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ I See There'S Something Faint Inside ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ Them. Embryos? Are These Eggs? ¨.-^=$§###
##§$=^-.¨¨ ¨¨.-^=$§##
###§$=^-.¨ I Shudder, And Climb Back Out. ¨.-^=$§###
==
== ==
= =
== ==
==