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.