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.