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.