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.