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.