§§§§§§§§
§§§§ §§§§
§§ §§
§ §
§ §
§ 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. %§/=:.....
§§
§§ §§
§ §
§§ §§
§§