††††††††
†††† ††††
†† ††
† †
† †
† 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. @#&%†*~,¨¨
††
†† ††
† †
†† ††
††