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.