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.