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.