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.