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.