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.