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.