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.