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.