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.