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.