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.