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.