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.