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.