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.