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.