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.