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.