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.