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.