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.