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.