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.