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.