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.