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.