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.