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.