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.