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.