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.