^^^^^^^^
^^^^ ^^^^
^^ ^^
^ ^
^ ^
^ the glass factory. ^
^ ^
^ ^
^^ ^^
^^^^ ^^^^
^^^^^^^^
##¶£$^^~~¨ several centuries after it had last ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ belonged to us, we went on an outing to ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ the glass factory that bore our family ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ name. it had changed owners many times ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ since our ancestors death, and then ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ stood abandoned for a long while. ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ finally, the natural end station for ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ the buildings that survive: a museum, ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ and a gift shop. ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ there's a long time since my family ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ made anything. by many, we would be ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ considered poor. ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ there are two main factory buildings, ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ domed things of several floors, made in ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ yellow brick. large but narrow windows, ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ reminescent of some cathedral. ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ custom-made glass, of course, large and ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ leaded, and ashen. a bit too dark to be ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ practical. on the eastern building, ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ some are shattered. ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ the other one is publicly open. there's ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ a museum, with wax figures of my great ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ great great grandfather, or something. ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ various tools (or replicas) laid out on ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ tables, with explaining texts. a lot of ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ glass of varying thickness. ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ ^^ ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ ^^ ^^ ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ ~~~~~~~ ^ ^ ~~~~~~~ ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ ^^ ^^ ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ ^^ ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ i quickly sneak out, and climb into the ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ other building. the contrast is ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ overwhelming. it must have stood ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ derelict for a long time, windows ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ broken, metallic trash and pools of ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ dark glass all over the floor. no ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ electric lights, but i can see by the ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ light that shines in wherever the dark ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ windows are missing a pane. ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ however, the greatest difference is the ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ higher floors: this building has none. ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ it is one massive hall, stretching away ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ infinitely above me. somewhere up there ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ is some great iron latticework, from ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ where chains are suspended, and parts ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ of machinery has been falling down. ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ there is, in the middle of the great ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ hall, a thin spiral staircase that ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ leads up there. i sneak over there, and ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ take a few reluctant steps. after just ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ a revolution, i notice that for each ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ step the building starts to glow, the ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ bricks turning a dark red, and then ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ orange, all the piled up debree being ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ lit from behind. ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ i stop ready to run down and out, but ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ there's someone else on the staircase ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ with me now, pressed close. he's ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ looking like me, short hair and thin ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ arms, but with ears from some animal, ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ and more disturbingly, completely made ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ of dark liquid glass. ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ ^^ ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ ^^ ^^ ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ ~~~~~~~ ^ ^ ~~~~~~~ ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ ^^ ^^ ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ ^^ ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ my fear holds me in place while he ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ starts operating levers and dials set ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ in the center of the staircase. slowly, ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ it starts spinning, circling upwards. ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ it's an elevator! i start to run ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ downwards, but now the liquid boy ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ creature grabs hold of me. i try to ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ shake him off, but he's too strong, and ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ pulls me back up beside him. ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ this time, i turn angry instead. what ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ the hell? who is this guy, acting like ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ this? i reach out my free arm and slam ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ a random lever. some metal bar is ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ suddenly released between us, hitting ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ him on the arm, forcing my release. i ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ shove him off of me, and he falls into ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ the levers, messing them up. ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ immediately, a thin rusty chainmail ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ curtain is dropped around me. but the ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ elevator also speeds up significantly. ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ the walls are flaring now, yellow, ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ white, almost blue. i close my eyes and ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ curl into a ball. but then, the glass ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ boy screams, a piercing sound that ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ forces my eyes back open. i watch as he ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ becomes too liquid, his body pooling ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ down in his now massive tail, and the ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ tip of it suddenly breaks of in a glass ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ drop that falls toward the factory ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ floor. ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ he's crawling on the stairs, unable to ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ keep his body upright. can't reach the ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ levers, claws at my chainmail cage, ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ while his body is turning into dark ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ pearls. finally, he's lost too much of ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ himself and the scream is cut short. ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ the last of him rains down. ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ i still can't reach the levers from ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ within my cage. looking up, i try to ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ make out the ceiling, but it's all a ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ whirling sea of colours. below me glows ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ the hellfire of the factory walls, but ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ very faint. i sit down, curl back up, ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ become still. ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ ^^ ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ ^^ ^^ ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ ~~~~~~~ ^ ^ ~~~~~~~ ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ ^^ ^^ ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ ^^ ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ a large clunk shakes my entire body, ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ and snaps me back into reality. i'm ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ back at the factory floor, but the ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ stairs are still moving slightly, ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ clicking in place, carrying me the last ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ few centimeters. i came from below, ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ somehow. the chainmail is retracted, ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ and i slowly dismount the stairs. ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ shaking and crying, i make my way over ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ the factory floor, wading through dark ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ glass marbles. a quick glance down, and ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ i see there's something faint inside ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ them. embryos? are these eggs? ¨~~^^$£¶##
#¶£$^^~~¨¨ ¨¨~~^^$£¶#
##¶£$^^~~¨ i shudder, and climb back out. ¨~~^^$£¶##
^^
^^ ^^
^ ^
^^ ^^
^^