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.