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.