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.