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.