^^^^^^^^
^^^^ ^^^^
^^ ^^
^ ^
^ ^
^ 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. ^*-,......
^^
^^ ^^
^ ^
^^ ^^
^^