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.