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.