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.