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.