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.