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.