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.