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.