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.