^^^^^^^^
^^^^ ^^^^
^^ ^^
^ ^
^ ^
^ 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. ,,,^»=^£##
^^
^^ ^^
^ ^
^^ ^^
^^