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.