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.