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.