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.