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.