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.