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.