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.