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.