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.