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.