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.