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.