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.