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.