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.