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.