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.