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.