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.