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.