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.