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.