§§§§§§§§
§§§§ §§§§
§§ §§
§ §
§ §
§ 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. §\=^......
§§
§§ §§
§ §
§§ §§
§§