§§§§§§§§
§§§§ §§§§
§§ §§
§ §
§ §
§ 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. $§:~~.....
§§
§§ §§
§ §
§§ §§
§§