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.