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.