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.