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.