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.