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.