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.