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.