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.