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.