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.