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.