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.