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.