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.