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.