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.