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.