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.