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.