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.