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.