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.