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.