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.