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.