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.