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.