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.