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.