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.