========
==== ====
== ==
= =
= =
= 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. .......^~;
==
== ==
= =
== ==
==