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.