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.