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.